New Jersey Lawyer Blog
Who Gets Custody of Your Children in New Jersey and WHY?
As Bergen County divorce lawyers, we want you to understand your rights when it comes to how the courts will determine custody.
If you are confused about the standard custody plan, listen up: Contrary to popular belief, there is no “standard” custody and visitation plan in Bergen County, or anywhere in New Jersey. Your arrangement will be based on your family. A number of factors will be considered. The court’s standard in child custody cases is “the best interests of the child”. In determining the best interests of the child, the court considers a number of factors including the home environments, the ages of the children, their relationship to each parent, the parents’ willingness to cooperate with one another, and other factors. A divorce lawyer will build a case for you based on your desires for custody and visitation, and what you feel is in the best interests of your children.The court will use the “best interest” factors to determine legal custody, physical custody, and visitation. Legal custody refers to who makes major decisions, and in New Jersey, this is commonly shared. Physical custody refers to the parent who the children live with most of the time. Visitation refers to the time spent with the parent who does not have physical custody.
Why Do I Need an Attorney for your NJ Divorce?
The most difficult part of any divorce is the impact on your kids. You want them to feel loved, wanted, and protected. Unfortunately your ex may be abusive, addicted, troubled, unstable, or worse. Even in the best of circumstances, you want to protect your rights to either have fully shared physically custody or agree to a primary parent for physical custody who truly can provide the most attention.
Don’t leave this question to the court. The judge is always going to appreciate the couple bringing in an agreement that they have worked out in advance, and will generally accept that agreement. We can help you work with your ex and the opposing attorney to get a reasonable agreement. If not, we will fight aggressively on your behalf to get the best results given the facts of the case.
The highly qualified Bergen County lawyers at Aretsky & Aretsky provide experienced, caring, and aggressive representation in the areas of Divorce, Criminal Defense, Employment Law and Personal Injury with offices in: Bergen County, Hackensack, Ridgewood, Mahwah, Fort Lee.