No parent wants to lose custody of their children. To have your relationship with your child disrupted by little to no access to your child can have a huge impact on your child as well as yourself. But understanding the legal process and why you lost custody will help you to know what to do to hopefully regain contact with your child. Seeking counsel from an experienced family law attorney will help you see a clear path to getting back in the good graces of the courts and being a positive parenting presence in your child’s life.
Why Did You Lose Custody?
Nevada law seeks to keep parents’ relationship with their children intact. But there are reasons that would lead a judge to remove custody rights from one parent in favor of the other in some cases. Availability to be able to spend time with your child or be available if your child needs you while at school can be a factor when deciding custody. If you have a history of abuse or have a problem with drugs and alcohol, you may be deemed unfit to parent. Knowing exactly what actions or inactions on your part led to your custody rights being removed will help you to correct the mistakes and see an avenue to regain your rights.
Types of Custody
Custody battles can be brutal even in the best of circumstances. Your parenting reputation may be positive, but if your divorce was ugly and petty, deciding the custody of your children may get swept up in the turmoil linked to the divorce. Knowing the different types of custody will help you to know if you still maintain some rights or a say in your child’s life. Custody is divided into two large categories:
Physical custody: This involves where a child lives and how often the child sees each parent. Decisions about the frequency of visitation, what to do on holidays, or what days of the week a parent can see their child are all determined and spelled out in the decree.
Legal custody: This kind of custody refers to decisions made for the child—for instance, medical treatments or procedures, religious upbringing, school decisions, etc.
What Path Can You Take to Regain Custody?
Even when you lose a portion or all your custody rights, you will still have a path back to re-establishing your rights in some cases. It is crucial that you are dependable in the eyes of the court, and, most importantly, your children. Areas to focus on are:
Stand by what you say you will do
Always be on time or better yet, early
Keep your relationship with your ex amicable
Protect your children from any conversations and topics in the divorce
If you are in Las Vegas and looking for legal counsel to regain your custody rights, give Warnock Family Law a call today.
