Joint custody of children is one of the dominant policy considerations underpinning Florida divorce law. Florida divorce law aims to ensure that children have frequent and continued contact with both parents. Florida Divorce Law encourages parents to share the rights, responsibilities and joys of raising the children. In an effort to accomplish the goal of joint custody Florida recently began requiring parents to submit a parenting plan. The parenting plan should describe in detail when the children are expected to be with each parent. To prevent any complications with the divorce proceeding it is best to have a trained Tampa divorce lawyer draft the parenting plan with his client.
A Tampa divorce attorney should work closely with his client and the opposing party to compose the parenting plan. If the plan is approved by the court it may be a legally binding agreement that can impact the amount of time each parent is authorized to spend with the children for many years to come. Therefore, great time and meticulous attention to detail should be utilized when drafting the plan. The plan will need to be well thought-out and consider all of the potential issues that may arise when sharing custody of children. For instance, where will the drop-off locations for the children be and which parent is responsible for providing transportation for the children to and from the designated drop-off location. Another commonly disregarded issue is notification to the other spouse of the whereabouts of the children. For instance, when is notification required and what should the notification consist of when then children are not at the usual location with the parent.
Many Florida family law courts have model parenting plans, which can be a useful resource for drafting a custom plan. Often, a Tampa divorce lawyer will use the model plan from the family law court located within its jurisdiction as a starting point. Since the model plan is promulgated by the court it is often influential in a judge’s decision whether or not to approve the parenting plan submitted by the parent’s Tampa divorce attorney.
If you are going through a divorce you can contact Florida Law Group for help. We understand how important children are in a parent’s life and our Tampa divorce lawyers will work diligently to achieve the custody rights you desire. To learn more about the possible legal strategies available to you contact us to schedule a free consultation with one of our trusted Tampa divorce attorneys.
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