283 lawyers specializing in Child Custody are
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Attorneys that have confirmed to Avvo that they are open during this time are marked "Open for business" on their profile. We recommend that you contact the attorney directly to determine hours and availability.
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Setter Roche Smith & Shellenberger, LLC 1860 Blake Street, Suite 500, Denver, CO
Attorneys that have confirmed to Avvo that they are open during this time are marked "Open for business" on their profile. We recommend that you contact the attorney directly to determine hours and availability.
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Attorneys that have confirmed to Avvo that they are available for a phone or video consultation have "Virtual Consultation" on their profile. We recommend that you contact the attorney directly to determine hours and availability.
Peak Legal Services LLC 600 Grant Street Suite 206, Denver, CO
Attorneys that have confirmed to Avvo that they are open during this time are marked "Open for business" on their profile. We recommend that you contact the attorney directly to determine hours and availability.
Mcconaughy & Sarkissian PC 4725 S. Monaco Street, Suite 200, Denver, CO
Kama McConaughy Sarkissian focuses her practice in all areas of family law. Ms. McConaughy Sarkissian has an extensive background in complex litigation, settlement negotiations, and appeals, having represented clients throughout the state of Color...
Jessica has devoted much of the last decade to reframing and expanding the entire way we view families in the context of their legal needs, with a focus on resolving high-conflict family law matters with the lowest level of litigation possible. T...
Review: “We came to her having spent over 12000 dollars on a fight seeming to go nowhere. Always dissatisfied with the lack of effort on our previous attorneys part. I felt hopeless, and like we were feeding into a never ending mo...
Attorneys that have confirmed to Avvo that they are open during this time are marked "Open for business" on their profile. We recommend that you contact the attorney directly to determine hours and availability.
Virtual Consultation
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Attorneys that have confirmed to Avvo that they are available for a phone or video consultation have "Virtual Consultation" on their profile. We recommend that you contact the attorney directly to determine hours and availability.
Halligan LLC 2535 17th Street, Suite C, Denver, CO
Samera I. Habib is a well respected Colorado attorney who leads her own law firm. She brings dedication, ingenuity, and leadership to the firm. As someone who herself has gone through a divorce and grappled with issues of child custody, Samera has...
Attorneys that have confirmed to Avvo that they are open during this time are marked "Open for business" on their profile. We recommend that you contact the attorney directly to determine hours and availability.
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Anderson & Graham, LLC 600 17th Street, Suite 2800 South, Denver, CO
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Eckelberry Law Firm, LLC 1888 N. Sherman Street, Suite 350, Denver, CO
20% Child custody, 35% Bankruptcy and debt, 20% Family, and more.
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30 minutes•Hourly Rates, $290-$350/hour•Retainer
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Sara Scott is an experienced attorney representing individuals, heterosexual and same-sex, in a wide spectrum of family law matters, from trial to the appellate level, in adoption, custody, divorce, and assisted reproductive technology. She is a ...
An avid chess player, Myles focuses his practice on family law matters — including divorce, separation, child custody, and child support — and mediation. Myles is a graduate of the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado...
Attorneys that have confirmed to Avvo that they are open during this time are marked "Open for business" on their profile. We recommend that you contact the attorney directly to determine hours and availability.
Virtual Consultation
Virtual Consultation
Attorneys that have confirmed to Avvo that they are available for a phone or video consultation have "Virtual Consultation" on their profile. We recommend that you contact the attorney directly to determine hours and availability.
Law Offices of Laura E. Shapiro 8751 E. Hampden Ave, Suite B-5, Denver, CO
Katie practices exclusively in family law, to include dissolution of marriage actions, post-decree modification of parental responsibility cases, child support actions, and relocation matters. Katie is also trained in collaborative law.
Katie beg...
Although I am a trained litigator, I prefer for parties to work through differences in mediation as it normally benefits everyone (especially the children) to settle differences in that way. Whether your case has domestic violence, fidelity iss...
Jessica graduated from University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. In 2002, Jessica received her Juris Doctorate degree from Villanova University School of Law, where she worked as a domestic violence victim advocat...
Mechelle Faulk excels at resolving her clients’ most personal and private matters, including those regarding wealth preservation, divorce, children, marital agreements, adoptions and cohabitation. She is an experienced litigator and negotiator, of...
Heather Landauer is a Partner at GEM Family Law. Heather is an experienced attorney, having practiced almost exclusively in family law since her admission to the Colorado State Bar in 2013.
Heather is creative and insightful, assisting her client...
Denver lawyer Kelley Rider Goodwin, just awarded the 2017 Young Lawyer of the Year by the Colorado Bar Association, and the Rider Goodwin Law Offices provides clients the assistance and tools necessary to thrive in divorce and child custody case...
CHILD CUSTODY IN DENVER
If you’re going through a divorce with children, you’ll need to determine where and with whom your children will live. A child custody lawyer can help you negotiate custody, either by agreement or in court. If you as parents can’t agree on child custody, a judge will decide for you. Continue reading to learn more about the process and costs of child custody cases in Denver and Colorado.
Types of Child Custody
Legal Custody. Legal custody refers to a parent’s right to make major decisions about a child's welfare, health, and education, including:
-where a child will go to school
-whether a child will engage in religious activities, and
-whether a child should receive medical care (except in emergency situations).
Joint vs. Sole Legal Custody. Legal custody can be shared (joint) or sole. In Colorado, joint legal custody means that both parents share in the right and responsibility to make decisions relating to the health, education, and welfare of a child. Joint legal custody is very common in Colorado. The fact that parents share joint legal custody, however, doesn’t mean they will share joint physical custody.
Sole legal custody means that only one parent has the right to make all major decisions relating to the child and can do so without the other parent's input. The fact that a parent has sole legal custody doesn’t mean that parent will also have sole physical custody.
Physical Custody. Physical custody refers to where a child will live after a divorce or separation. The parent with physical custody has the right to have the child physically present in the home. If a child lives exclusively or primarily with one parent, that parent is usually referred to as the custodial parent, while the other is the noncustodial parent and typically has visitation rights.
Joint vs. Sole Physical Custody. Joint physical custody means that both parents have significant periods of physical custody. If a child's time is divided equally—or close to equally—between the parents, they are sharing joint physical custody.
Sole physical custody means a child resides with one parent, subject to the court's authority to order visitation time with the other.
How Is Child Custody Determined?
In Colorado, judges decide custody according to what is in the best interest of the child. To decide a child’s best interests, the court will consider many factors, including:
-the parent’s wishes
-the child’s wishes, with due consideration given to the influence a parent may have over the child’s wishes
-the relationship between the child and each parent, siblings, and any other person who may affect the child’s best interests
-the child’s adjustment and continuing proximity to home, school, and community;
-the mental and physical health of all individuals involved;
-any history of domestic violence against the other parent or the child, and
-the likelihood one parent will allow frequent, meaningful, and continuing contact with the other.
Legal Custody. Parents usually share joint legal custody, unless one of the following is true:
-the parents are completely unable to make decisions together
-one parent is deemed unfit
-one parent is incapable of making decisions regarding the welfare of the child, or
-it would be in the child’s best interests for only one parent to have sole legal custody.
Physical Custody. When deciding physical custody, courts will need to determine the child's best interests. In most cases, courts strive for equal—or close to equal—parenting time. In other cases, sole physical custody, with or without visitation to the other parent, may be appropriate. For example, if a parent has a history of domestic violence or abuse, courts may order that all visits with the child be supervised by an approved third party.
What Goes Into a Custody Agreement?
In Colorado, a custody agreement is referred to as a parenting plan. Generally, a parenting plan should cover physical custody and include a detailed schedule for when the child will be with each parent, including:
-where the child will be for holidays, summer vacations, and special days like birthdays
-how the child will get from one parent to the other (transitions), and
-who will pay the costs of transportation.
Your agreement should also cover legal custody and how you will make decisions about your child’s health, education, and welfare including:
-daycare and/or which school(s) the child will attend
-whether the child will practice a certain religion, and
-how decisions about medical and dental care will be made.
If you have questions, speak to a local child custody attorney for advice.
The Average Cost of Child Custody Case in Colorado
Each family is unique, and each custody case presents its own specific circumstances which will play a major role in how long a custody case will take and how much it might cost. When parents agree on all of their custody issues, the total cost will be on the lower end. If parents can’t agree or have a prolonged custody dispute in court, the total cost will be significantly higher.
While we don’t have specific data on the cost of a custody case in Colorado, we do know that in one survey, readers who had disagreements over child support and/or custody paid an average of $15,500 in total costs—including $13,500 in attorney’s fees and $2,000 in other costs.
Attorney’s fees represent the largest chunk of divorce cost. Because attorneys in the Denver area charge higher hourly rates than other areas of Colorado, custody cases in Denver will likely cost more than in other parts of the state.
For more on child custody in Colorado, and questions asked in Denver, see our free legal advice page.
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