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De Novo Law LLC - Phoenix Arizona - (480) 725-2200
Child Custody & Parenting Time Using a Paraprofessional
Child Custody & Parenting Time Using a Paraprofessional
For parents in Arizona, child custody disputes can be among the most conflict-filled and difficult situations they might have to go through. These types of family law cases can be complex and take a long time to resolve. Because of the potential issues and possible litigation, child custody matters can also be expensive.
One way to get child custody rights in Arizona involves working with a licensed legal paraprofessional instead of a lawyer. Legal paraprofessionals are licensed to provide more services than a child custody paralegal and can handle all aspects of their client’s cases.
Legal paraprofessionals are a more affordable option than retaining an attorney and have years of experience working in the area of family law.
At De Novo Law, Stephanie Villalobos, LP, provides highly skilled legal representation to her clients. Before she received her license as the first licensed legal paraprofessional in Arizona, she worked for more than 30 years as a child custody paralegal under the supervision of family law attorneys.
Her status as a legal paraprofessional means that she is authorized to provide legal advice and representation to her clients without needing to be supervised by an attorney. To understand how to get child custody in Arizona, you need to know the different types of child custody and the processes that might be involved.
Types of Child Custody in Arizona
Types of Child Custody in Arizona
When many parents think of child custody, they envision where their children will primarily reside. However, child custody in Arizona refers to the parents’ legal decision-making authority.
How the child’s time will be divided between the parents is called parenting time.
Decision-making authority is defined in ARS 25-401 and is the ability of a parent to make important decisions about his or her child’s religion, education, personal care, and healthcare. It is also referred to as legal custody and can be ordered as sole decision-making authority or joint decision-making authority.
Parenting time is how much time each parent will have to spend with the child and is also referred to as residential custody.
Parenting time can be shared equally or less equally, and in some cases, a parent might only be granted supervised visits while the other parent has primary residential custody. However, those types of situations are rare and normally involve situations in which the child would be unsafe in the custody of the parent who receives supervised visits.
In general, Arizona family law judges begin by presuming that children derive the greatest benefit by having frequent and meaningful contact with both of their parents. It is only when spending time with one of the parents would present safety concerns that a judge might order supervised visits.
Legal decision-making authority and parenting time decisions are made based on the child’s best interests according to the factors in ARS 25-403. The different types of child custody and how to get child custody in Arizona are discussed below.
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