Protecting Your Time With Your Child
Child custody disputes are difficult for any parent. They are even more painful for the children involved. To find a resolution to your child custody issue, it is important that you hire an experienced attorney to protect your rights and keep your child's best interests in mind.
At Bradshaw & Bradshaw, PLLC, we help parents maintain strong connections with their children in custody and visitation cases. A second generation law firm, we understand the importance of family. Visit our office in Friendswood, Texas, to speak with our family law attorneys.
Texas Conservatorship and Visitation
In Texas, child custody is referred to as conservatorship. The courts generally presume divorcing parents will be joint managing conservators of their children. However, that does not mean both parents will have equal rights. The parent residing with the child a majority of the time is often referred to as the primary managing conservator. This individual typically designates the child's primary residence and may also be given the exclusive right to make the child's educational decisions, consent to the child's medical care or psychiatric care, and the right to make other decisions of legal significance.
Determining who will be the primary conservator can be one of the most disputed topics in a divorce. To help you build a case for primary conservatorship, contact our office.
The parent without custody will generally have visitation set according to a standard schedule called a standard possession order, which includes first, third and fifth weekends, alternating holidays, one evening per week during the school year and an extended period of time in the summer.
If a parent has been accused of abuse, however, the court could order that individual's visitation be limited, restricted or supervised. Unfortunately, false family violence or abuse allegations are sometimes made during divorce proceedings in an attempt to gain leverage in child custody battles.
Courts do not automatically award primary conservatorship to the mother.
Some people mistakenly believe that courts favor mothers. The truth is that fathers have a better chance of becoming primary conservators today than they did in the past, particularly if:
- The father has been actively involved in the child's life
- The mother has been engaging in an activity detrimental to the child's health or emotional development
At Bradshaw & Bradshaw, we have won custody for several fathers we have represented. Let us help you.
Our firm's founding attorney has been Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization as a Family Law Specialist since 1975.
Consult With an Experienced Lawyer
To learn how to prepare for a custody case, contact us online or call our office at 281-816-5276.
