One thing to keep in mind – once a judge makes a decision, it becomes mandatory no matter what you might think.
New Hampshire has one of the highest divorce rates in the US, with 3.1 divorces per 1,000 people. Getting a divorce is easy as New Hampshire is a no-fault state. You don’t need any grounds to ask for a divorce if you feel that your marriage has come to an end. However, things tend to get complicated when there are children involved. The best way to solve this issue is to look up the best New Hampshire child custody lawyers and use their expertise to find a workable solution.
According to the law, the parents can decide the future of their children as they best see fit. They can draw up a parenting plan detailing how they will resolve the physical and legal custody issues. Once you have settled all the issues, your child custody lawyers can put everything on paper in a legal form.
You will both go before the judge to present the legal document and if they find that the arrangements you’ve made are in the child’s best interests they will approve it.
However, people caught up in a bitter divorce sometimes cannot stand being in the same room, let alone talk in a civilized manner. Moreover, they might try to hurt each other by demanding sole custody of the kids.
If you talk to an experienced Manchester child custody lawyer, they will explain that this strategy is very risky and it might come back to hurt you.
Under New Hampshire law, judges are required to keep the child’s best interests in mind. It’s not about what you want or what your ex wants, it’s all about what’s best for the child. Experts agree unanimously that a good relationship with both parents is vital for their development.
When the parents cannot agree on a parenting plan and the judge needs to make a decision, they will look at certain aspects.
For instance they will look at each parent’s conduct. If one of them seems more likely to create problems and try to prevent the other parent from spending time with the child, there’s little chance that they will get sole custody. Keep in mind that the judge will want to make sure that both parents get to spend meaningful time with the kids. It is only when a parent is deemed unfit for whatever reason that the judge will consider restricting their visitation rights. To completely bar one parent from seeing the child, the judge would need strong evidence of abuse. Otherwise, they will find alternatives, like supervised visits, just so the child can interact with that parent.
Other factors judges consider when deciding child custody are each parent’s ability to care for the children and their ability to provide for them. For example, if one of the parents lives in a house where the child might be exposed to criminal activity, drug use or other dangerous activity, it is unlikely that they will get physical custody. A judge needs to determine what environment is safer for the child and which parent can provide the care and affection they need on a daily basis.
One thing to keep in mind – once a judge makes a decision, it becomes mandatory no matter what you might think.
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