Nothing is more important than making sure your children have the care and support they need even after you and your spouse separate. The desire to do the right thing is strong in all parents, but disagreements over just what the right thing is for your children can lead to emotionally and financially draining legal battles.
At the law firm of Cross Jenks Mercer & Maffei, we keep the focus where it belongs: on the child’s best interest. We strive to protect the parental rights of our clients and achieve outcomes that best reflect the reality of the situation and the needs of the children. We know how important legal custody and physical placement are in Wisconsin divorce law, and we work hard to get the best outcomes for our clients.
Legal Custody vs Physical Custody
Legal custody is often misunderstood, with people fixating on the issue of “joint custody” vs “sole custody”. The reality is that almost all cases will result in both parents having significant time with their children and the ability to contribute to important decisions about a child’s upbringing. Only in the most extreme circumstances will one parent have sole legal custody and primary physical placement.
Legal custody covers important parenting decisions about a child’s health care and medical decisions, schooling, religious upbringing, and other parenting decisions. Physical placement focuses on where the child lives and when the child spends quality time with each parent. It is common for parents to have joint legal custody and a placement schedule that provides each parent with time with their child.
Our family law attorneys are skilled at negotiating placement schedules that ensure children will have a stable, predictable upbringing that respects their needs and the rights of their parents. We strive to reach solutions in an amicable fashion to limit emotional damage and help parents maintain a respectful co-parenting relationship.
When agreements cannot be reached through negotiation or mediation, we have litigation skills and take cases to court. In the courtroom, we strive to achieve the best results for our clients as efficiently as possible.
Put Our Experienced Family Law Attorneys on Your Side
Your child deserves to have you in their life and we can help you make it happen. Call 608-420-3942 or submit our contact form to schedule a meeting.
