As a father, you play a critical role in your child’s life, and it is important to support that role in every way possible. The child custody lawyers at the Carmiece Graves Law Firm appreciate what is at stake in a custody case and have the knowledge, skill, and dedication to protect fathers’ rights in all custody matters.
Whether you are dealing with divorce, or marriage was never part of the picture, our experienced custody team will take advantage of all available means to achieve the best outcome for your family.
Child Custody Law in Maryland
Child custody refers to legal parental rights involving the care and control of a child’s life. This includes not only living arrangements but also the authority to make education and health decisions for your child and other parental responsibilities. During child custody proceedings, the court’s only concern is to determine what is in the child’s best interests. A judge considers all presented evidence to ascertain the arrangement that will provide the best future for the child.
Parents may work together to develop their own parenting plan to describe the custody arrangement that works for them, and in many cases this is preferable to having decisions made by a judge unfamiliar with the details of family life. Plans will be reviewed carefully by a judge to ensure that the terms are truly in the child’s best interests. The team at the Carmiece Graves Law Firm can help parents create a plan that meets their goals while satisfying the requirements of the court.
Types of Child Custody
Child custody proceedings establish the specific parental rights of each party involved. These are often the child’s two biological parents but may also include grandparents and adoptive parents or guardians. The proceedings will deal with two types of child custody:
- Legal custody: A parent with legal custody has the ability to make decisions that affect a child throughout their life, such as which school they will attend and which doctor they see. Legal custody may be held jointly, giving both parents the right to make decisions about the child’s life, or one parent may have sole legal custody.
- Physical custody: Physical custody arrangements determine the amount of time the child will spend living with each parent. When one parent has primary physical custody, the other parent usually has visitation rights. For instance, a parenting plan may specify that the child spends alternating weekends and holidays with the non-custodial parent. Parents may share physical custody, in which case the child has two residences and spends at least 35% of their child with each parent.
Although Maryland laws do not officially favor either mothers or fathers in custody cases, sometimes fathers still have to work to overcome the traditional prejudice toward granting physical custody to mothers. If you have questions about the custody arrangements available in your case, contact the Carmiece Graves Law Firm to set up a consultation.
Work with the Maryland Child Custody Lawyers Who Protects the Rights of Fathers
Whether you’re facing custody proceedings for the first time or in the middle of a dispute over modifications, you need an experienced child custody lawyer to help you make the most of your opportunities. As skilled advocates, the team at the Carmiece Graves Law Firm will show the court why your goals for custody are in the best interests of your child.
For a confidential consultation to learn how we could assist with your Maryland child custody case, call the Carmiece Graves Law Firm today at 240-573-7153
