Sapulpa Child Custody Lawyer

Coparenting a child with someone you’re not married to can be incredibly challenging, whether that person is an ex-spouse or someone you’ve never married. In either case, you need to come up with a child custody agreement that you can both agree upon that prioritizes the best interests of your child. A Sapulpa child custody lawyer can help you do that.

Trust Bundy Law

Bundy Law is home to many experienced legal professionals, including the only International Academy of Family Lawyers attorney in Oklahoma. Our team of Sapulpa family lawyers is deeply familiar with child custody laws and knows how to use them to protect our clients’ parental rights. We’ve handled many challenging child custody battles and know that this can be a difficult time for your family. Let us provide you with experienced, compassionate legal counsel.

Why Hire a Child Custody Lawyer?

Around 35% of all Oklahoma children live in single-parent households. In 2023, Sapulpa, OK, was home to 22,268 people living in roughly 8,960 households. Around 5.3% of women gave birth last year, which means there are many children living in Sapulpa, and a relatively large minority of them live in single-parent homes.

Whether you’re a biological father who wants to assume joint custody of a child you’ve recently proven to be yours via a paternity test or you’re a divorcing mother who wants to retain sole custody of her children by marriage, you need to hire a child custody lawyer. Your lawyer can help you stay on top of crucial deadlines, gather and analyze evidence to support your case, and represent you at the Creek County District Court.

Who Gets Custody?

In Oklahoma, both parents can claim physical custody of a child until a court rules otherwise. Fathers are entitled to physical custody if they’re noted on the birth certificate or have a paternity agreement in place, even if the couple is unwed. When child custody cases go to court, Oklahoma generally prioritizes the best interests of the child over all other concerns. The factors judges consider when deciding what’s in the best interests of the child include:

• The mental and physical health of both parents
• The child’s relationship with each parent
• Sex offender registration
• Child abuse convictions
• Presence of alcohol or illegal drug abuse
• Domestic violence convictions
• The wishes of the child, if appropriate

The parents’ wishes are also taken into consideration. However, it will always be the child’s best interests that determine who gets custody.

Parenting Schedules in Sapulpa

When courts determine parenting schedules, they follow a certain set of loose guidelines. Generally, the courts maintain that:

• Children benefit from having stable, meaningful relationships with both parents.
• Each parent has valuable contributions to make to a child’s development.
• Children should have both structured and unstructured time with both parents.
• If two parents can come up with a mutually agreed-upon visitation schedule, that schedule should be given preference over a court-imposed solution.
• Divorced or separated parents have an inherent obligation to their children.
• Divorced parents should maintain consistent rules and values, avoid open conflict, and remain flexible and cooperative.

Physical vs. Legal Custody

There are two forms of custody in Oklahoma: joint or sole. Physical custody refers to the time the child spends with each parent, including both daytime and overnight visits. The courts often prioritize joint physical custody unless there is evidence that it’s not in the child’s best interests.

Legal custody refers to the ability to make important decisions on the child’s behalf. Those decisions often involve where the child goes to school, what kind of healthcare they receive, how they are raised religiously, and other essential factors. As with physical custody, legal custody can be held solely by one parent or jointly by both parents. The Oklahoma courts tend to prioritize shared legal custody arrangements.

FAQs

How Much Does a Child Custody Lawyer Cost in Oklahoma?

How much a child custody lawyer costs in Oklahoma varies based on the specifics of your case. If you just need a lawyer to help you draft a child custody agreement that you and the other parent both agree on, it won’t cost as much as it would to hire a lawyer to provide representation during a contentious child custody battle.

Who Pays for Child Custody Court?

Both parents usually pay for child custody court. Each parent pays their own court fees and lawyer fees. However, there are circumstances in which judges order higher-earning parents or those acting in bad faith to pay the other parent’s costs. Expenses like mediation and evaluations are typically split proportionally to income.

Do You Have to Pay Child Support if You Have 50/50 Custody in Oklahoma?

You may still have to pay child support if you have 50/50 custody in Oklahoma. The court doesn’t base child support payments on who has custody. It uses a shared parenting guideline that considers each parent’s income, the amount of parenting time they have, and the childcare costs to ensure the child has a similar standard of living in both homes. That means higher earners often pay child support to lower earners even if they share custody. Reach out to Sapulpa child support lawyer to learn more.

What Is the Biggest Mistake in a Child Custody Battle?

The biggest mistake in a child custody battle is putting your emotions or desires ahead of your child’s best interests. Common examples of this behavior can include inappropriate communications with your child’s other parent, trying to manipulate your child to hurt the other parent, or failing to pay child support obligations.

Your Sapulpa Child Custody Lawyer

There are few things more stressful than child custody battles. You deserve to have a Sapulpa child custody attorney on your side who can provide legal guidance and representation. The child custody experts at Bundy Law has extensive experience handling complex child custody cases, fighting aggressively to protect our clients’ parental rights and their children’s best interests. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation with our legal team today.