When your divorce includes children, there will be many important details to iron out between you and your ex-spouse. The most important issue regarding your children will, of course, be the custody arrangement that is implemented after your divorce. This will consist of who the child lives with, how visits are scheduled, who has the kids for holidays, and details concerning their healthcare and possibly religious upbringing.
Since these agreements are legally binding once signed, you must have everything just as you want it in your original agreement. In many cases, one spouse may try to change certain aspects of the agreement or fail to live up to their end of things along the way. If this is happening to you, work closely with a Middlesex County family law attorney to protect the original terms of your child custody agreement.
Be Very Specific
In many situations where child custody disputes arise following a divorce, it is due to the original agreement being too vague on specific issues. This can involve topics such as religion, schooling, or how often visits will be allowed. If you want to protect your child custody agreement and your interests as they pertain to your child, make sure your agreement is as specific as possible when being drafted by your family law attorney.
To ensure the agreement meets your needs, have discussions with your attorney, your ex-spouse, and even your current spouse if you have remarried. By doing so and having numerous specifics in your agreement, the court will likely force your ex to live up to the original terms.
Arbitration or Mediation
If you are having difficulty with your ex-spouse living up to the terms of the child custody agreement, arbitration or mediation may be the answer. If certain circumstances have changed regarding a person's employment, health, or living arrangements, specific terms within the agreement may be open to negotiation. Should this be possible, working with a neutral third-party arbitrator or mediator can often allow tensions to be diffused and both parties to reach a compromise on key areas.
Court Hearings
In some circumstances, it may be necessary to take your ex-spouse back to court to let a judge determine whether they are in violation of your child custody agreement, or whether the same should be changed based on a change in circumstances. If this happens, have as much evidence as possible to support your claims. Though the court will always put the best interests of the children involved first, a judge will carefully examine the agreement to see what terms were initially agreed upon.
Due to the complexities involved with child custody agreements, work only with an attorney that you can trust. Therefore, if you have questions and need additional help, contact a family law attorney at Rozin | Golinder Law.
Call our Middlesex County custody lawyers today at (732) 810-0034.