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Child Custody

Concord Child Custody Lawyers, North Carolina

Helping parents gain legal and physical custody of their children in Cabarrus County

Children need as much stability and love as possible when parents divorce or separate. It can be hard for parents to prioritize the best interests of their children compared to their own needs. Many custody disputes are quite contentious. At Epperson Law Group, PLLC, our family lawyers help spouses going through a divorce and unmarried parents who separate prioritize their children’s needs for guidance, education, friendships, discipline, and growth. We’re skilled at negotiating custody agreements and parenting plans that last and protecting your children. Call our Concord child custody lawyers today to discuss how child custody works in North Carolina.

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What laws govern child custody in North Carolina?

According to the North Carolina Judicial Branch:

Child custody includes the right to make major life decisions about a child and the right to have the child in your care. Visitation is a secondary form of custody, which includes the right to visit with a child at times set forth in a court order, sometimes under specific conditions. “Visitation” is frequently used to refer to a person’s parenting time when it is relatively limited.

Legal custody is the right of a parent to make major decisions (such as the child’s school, religion, and health needs). Physical custody refers to where your child lives each day of each year.

Generally, child custody agreements and orders last until the child turns 18 or is emancipated. The Cabarrus County court judges are not supposed to prefer one parent over another. They are supposed to review all the statutory factors that must be used to decide custody disputes and apply them based on the backgrounds of the parents and the child.

Do I need a child custody order for my child?

Our Concord child custody lawyers recommend that parents obtain an official, legal order – even if they are in agreement. You can go to court to enforce a legal custody order but you can’t use the courts to enforce an agreement made by email. Schools, physicians, and other people/organizations may need to see a custody order to apply its terms on your child’s behalf.

How are child custody issues resolved in Concord?

North Carolina decides child custody petitions, disputes, and enforcement issues based on the Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act and the Uniform Deployed Parents Custody and Visitation Act. Generally, North Carolina law § 50‑13.2 determines “Who is entitled to custody, the terms of custody, visitation rights of grandparents, what happens when a parent wants to take a child out of State, and consideration of parent's military service.

As we’ve mentioned earlier, North Carolina law puts the best interests of the child as the goal in child custody cases. Most parties involved in child custody disputes are required to go through mediation before proceeding to trial. North Carolina requires that all child custody and visitation disputes involving minor children be sent to the Custody Mediation and Visitation Program before there will be a court hearing.

Parents need to participate in an orientation class and one mediation session where a mediator will try to forge a child custody agreement and a parenting plan. Mediation gives parents an out-of-court and non-adversarial environment to collaborate on a parenting plan.

Other alternatives to litigation include private mediation through the lawyers and the collaborative divorce process. Alternative dispute resolution methods help protect your child from the adversarial process, save costs, save time, and help parents communicate – something you and the child’s other parent will need to do until your child turns 18.

Our Concord child custody lawyers also work with child psychologists, your child’s teachers, other relatives, and other people in your child’s life to best understand your child’s needs. Generally, children don’t testify in court unless absolutely necessary.

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What is a parenting plan?

The custody agreement determines which parents have legal and physical custody. A parenting plan determines many practical issues that include:

  • A schedule of where the child will be each day
  • Rules of transferring the child between parents and school
  • Rules for how you can communicate with your child (and the child can contact you) when your child is staying with the other parent
  • Where your child will stay during the holidays
  • Many other practical day-to-day issues

What factors determine child custody in North Carolina?

Some of the factors that affect which parent obtains custody, jointly or solely, include the:

  • The need for stability. Ideally, children should stay in their marital home and attend the same school as before the breakup.
  • The physical, emotional, and mental well-being of the parents and child.
  • Whether any parent has a substance abuse problem.
  • Whether either parent has been accused of domestic violence.
  • The availability of the parent; is the parent at home or working, for example.
  • The economic situation of the parents. Though not controlling, courts do want children to be safe and healthy.
  • The ability of each parent to be a caretaker for the child.
  • Your child’s relationships with siblings.
  • The preference of the children, in some circumstances.

At Epperson Law Group, PLLC, our Concord family lawyers help parents show that these factors are strongly in your favor. We identify and asses the various factors that courts use to decide child custody disputes. This understanding helps us negotiate agreements and parenting plans – and helps prepare your request to be your child’s legal and physical custodian.

When can a Concord child custody agreement be modified?

Child custody orders can be modified by the agreement of the parents (again, we recommend any agreements be made part of a court order) or modified by a decision of the family law judge. To modify a child custody order, there must be a significant change of circumstances for either a parent or your child.

Our Concord child custody orders advocate for parents when either you or your co-parent requests a modification due to:

  • A desire by either parent to relocate to another county, state, or country – with your child
  • A new family dynamic such as the remarriage of a spouse
  • The changing health of any parent or child
  • Noncompliance with the terms of the current child custody order
  • Other changes in circumstances

Do you have a Concord child custody lawyer near me?

Epperson Law Group is located at 99 Church St NE. Our family lawyers also discuss child custody issues by phone and through video conferences. We’ll answer all your questions, focus on the best interests of your children, and work to obtain child custody orders that provide security and love for your child.

Call our respected child custody lawyers in Concord today

At Epperson Law Group, PLLC, we’re skilled at helping parents and children establish legal boundaries when marriages and relationships falter. We’ll help you assert your child custody rights, negotiate agreements, and litigate before a family judge when necessary – to protect your child and make clear how your child will be raised, loved, and guided. To speak with a Concord child custody lawyer, call us or fill out our contact form to schedule a consultation.

Concord Office

99 Church St NE
Concord,
NC 28025

Tel: 704-321-0031

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