Joplin Child Custody Lawyer

When parents live apart, important issues concerning a child’s care, residence, and upbringing may be the subject of intense conflict between them. A Joplin child custody lawyer can help parents address legal and physical custody issues and work to protect their parental rights.

Missouri judges consider numerous factors when making a decision about child custody. This determination is of crucial importance to parents. At Bundy, we represent individuals involved in custody disputes and other family law matters involving children.

Hire a Child Custody Lawyer

Bundy handles complex custody and family law matters throughout Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Our Joplin family law attorneys have experience representing clients in disputes involving custody, parenting time, relocation, support, and other issues affecting children and families.

The attorneys at Bundy are committed to ongoing professional development and have completed advanced training in family law advocacy and trial practice. The firm is recognized for handling challenging family law matters, including cases involving substantial assets, closely held businesses, and other complicated legal and financial issues that may arise during family court proceedings.

What’s more, Aaron Bundy is both a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers. He is prepared to take on international cases involving the Hague Convention.

Determining Child Custody in Missouri

Missouri courts have broad discretion when deciding child custody matters. In general, courts make custody determinations based on what they believe is in the child’s best interests. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 452.375 outlines factors that the courts can consider when determining custody.

For example, the courts may consider the child’s relationship with each parent, how well the parents can cooperate with each other, the child’s adjustment to their home and school, and each parent’s willingness to support a meaningful relationship between the child and the other parent.

Missouri recognizes both legal custody and physical custody and may award either joint or sole custody to one or both parents. As always, family law cases are heavily dependent on the specific facts of each case. While no two cases are the same, learning about these factors can help you be better prepared for a custody decision.

Parenting Plans and Custody Arrangements

Based on America’s Children 2024 federal report, 25% of children between the ages of 0-17 were living with only one parent in 2023. A parenting plan can define how parents will share child-related responsibilities and decision-making. Custody may address where the child will primarily reside, the parenting schedule, holiday and vacation time, transportation logistics, and communication methods.

Parenting plans may also include provisions regarding decision-making for education, healthcare, religious upbringing, and extracurricular activities. Clear and detailed parenting plans can provide children with stability and set expectations for parents after a separation or divorce.

Modifying Child Custody Orders

Child custody orders can be modified when circumstances change over time. A court can change a custody order if legal requirements are met and the requested modification is in the child’s best interests under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 452.410. Parents who experience changes in employment, living arrangements, health, relocation, or a child’s educational and personal needs may request custody modifications.

In the Joplin area, the Jasper County Circuit Court commonly hears custody modification cases and disputes when jurisdictional requirements are met. Understanding the modification process can help parents evaluate their legal options when circumstances change.

FAQs

How Does Legal Custody Differ From Physical Custody?

Legal and physical custody are two separate issues that differ in many ways. Legal custody concerns important decisions regarding education, healthcare, and religious upbringing, among other things. Physical custody, on the other hand, usually involves where the child lives and the parenting time arrangements between the parents.

Custody of a child in Missouri may be granted jointly or solely, as the case and the child’s best interests require.

Can Grandparents Seek Visitation Rights in Missouri?

In some situations, Missouri law allows grandparents to seek court-ordered visitation with a grandchild. A grandparent does not have a right to visitation merely because a family dispute has arisen. Courts generally evaluate the specific facts of the case and consider whether visitation would serve the child’s best interests. Grandparent visitation requests may be made after a divorce or separation of the parents, the death of a parent, or another change in circumstances.

Can a Child Choose Which Parent to Live With in Missouri?

A child typically cannot choose which parent to live with in Missouri. The child’s preference is one factor that might be considered in a custody dispute, but it is not determinative in all cases. Missouri courts consider many factors when awarding custody, and the child’s best interests are the primary concern, not the child’s choice. The child’s wishes may carry more or less weight depending on their age, maturity, and the reasons they express for their preference.

What Happens if One Parent Wants to Move Away With the Child?

Moving away with the child can be a major issue if the move could impact the parenting time of the other parent or if it could change the relationship the other parent has with the child. Missouri has specific rules that may apply if you wish to relocate with a child.

When relocation is disputed, a judge may consider how the proposed move could affect the child’s welfare, schooling, family relationships, and existing custody arrangement before ruling on the request.

How Often Do Divorces Occur in Missouri?

Divorces occur fairly often in Missouri. Family courts handle cases that impact parents and their children after the breakdown of a marriage. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Missouri experienced a rate of 2.6 divorces per 1,000 people in 2023.

Although a divorce does not always mean the case involves child custody issues, the end of a marriage can raise legal issues about parental rights, decision-making, parenting time, and the care of minor children.

Contact a Joplin, MO Child Custody Lawyer

Custody disputes can be some of the most emotionally difficult cases to deal with. Court orders on custody and parenting time can last for years. They impact critical decisions related to a child’s education, medical care, and everyday life.

Reaching a custody arrangement that serves a child’s best interests while protecting parental rights often requires careful consideration and planning. Bundy keeps this in mind when representing parents facing custody issues. This includes initial determinations, modifications, requests to relocate, and other disputes that impact a parent’s relationship with a child. Schedule a consultation today to hire a child custody lawyer.