When you are getting divorced and you are fighting with your spouse over child custody, you are probably very concerned about making sure you get the best outcome for your case. Fortunately, there are certain things you can do to improve your odds and minimize the risk of unforeseen problems jeopardizing your chances. Here are five ways you can improve your chances of a favorable outcome in your child custody case:
- Be respectful to your spouse, especially in front of your children
- It should not come as a surprise that most people going through a divorce do not have particularly high opinions of their soon-to-be-former-spouses. That, by itself, is fine. The problem is if you spend time insulting or talking down about your spouse, especially in front of your children. Far from hurting your spouse, these kinds of derogatory comments could make you seem immature or impulsive, harming your chances at getting custody of your children.
- Be careful about your social media use
- More people than ever have social media accounts, either for socialization or work. What many people do not realize is that their spouse (or their spouse’s attorney) could monitor their social media activity, possibly without them realizing it. Keeping control of your social media activity is important to ensuring your own posts and pictures are not used against you in your child custody case.
- Keep a journal
- Keeping a journal may seem quaint in the modern day, but it can be an important tool in a child custody case. By keeping track of your activities, and by recording what happens with your children, you can have contemporary records for anything that happens on a given day. This can become essential evidence for proving your case later on, when you are trying to demonstrate you are a good choice for child custody.
- Maintain good communication
- Divorce cases, especially those involving children, tend to involve a lot of communication. Not only do you need to potentially communicate with your spouse, your children, and their lawyers, but you also need to speak with teachers, counselors, coaches, and medical professionals who are involved with your children’s welfare. Remaining responsive and returning messages is important to demonstrating your fitness as a parent to the court, which can improve your chances at getting custody.
- Respect court orders and fulfill obligations
- You have every right to contest court orders and obligations, such as child support, to the fullest extent allowed by the law. However, once they have been imposed, you are responsible for following them and ensuring you remain up to date on child support and other similar obligations. If you can manage to do that, it can show the court that you are taking the situation seriously and are managing your responsibilities as a parent, which can improve your chances at getting custody.
If you have questions regarding child custody or other aspects of family law, you should seek advice from an attorney experienced in handling these matters. A New York matrimonial lawyer, who is experienced in handling family law cases of all sorts, can advise you of your legal rights and will fight for your best interests in court. If you are facing a dispute related to the equitable distribution of property, child custody, child support, or any other family law issue, contact the Suffolk County family court lawyers at McGuire, Peláez and Bennett at (631) 348-1702 or visit our contact page.
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