Child Custody Lawyers in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area
Parenting Time & Child Support Agreements Across Missouri & Kansas
When families face divorce or legal separation, children are often at the center of it. At Fisher Law LLC, our team of women attorneys helps parents in Kansas and Missouri navigate the challenges of child custody, parenting time, and child support. We can provide legal counsel for parents at the beginning of a separation or for those who need to revisit an existing order.
Our job is to protect your rights while keeping your child’s best interest at the heart of every decision. Call (816) 704-7068 or contact the firm today to learn more about your options.
Child Custody in Kansas and Missouri
Child custody in Kansas and Missouri has two main components: legal custody and parenting time. The parents can decide these terms and incorporate them into a parenting plan by agreement, but if they cannot, then the court will decide the custody and parenting time.
Legal Custody
The parenting plan defines legal custody and how the parents will make major decisions about the child’s life. This includes decisions regarding the child’s health, education, and welfare. Most often parties will have equal decision-making ability known as joint legal custody.
Parenting Time
The parenting plan will define each parent’s parenting time, which is the actual division of time each parent spends with the children. Parenting time includes the normal residence schedule, holidays, and vacation time that the children will spend with each parent.
Creating Parenting Plans That Actually Work
A parenting plan provides a framework to assist the parents and children with stability. At Fisher Law LLC, we draft customized parenting plans that account for work schedules, school calendars, holidays, travel, long-distance arrangements, communication expectations, and decision-making for the children.
When disputes arise, we focus on practical solutions that minimize disruption and keep the focus on your children.
Establishing Paternity and Parenting Rights
Establishing paternity provides many benefits for you and your child. In Kansas and Missouri, when a child is born to an unmarried mother, the child technically has no legal father until paternity is established. Establishing paternity allows both parents to have parenting time with the child, designates the legal custody of the child, establishes a consistent parenting plan, and sets a child support amount.
The benefits of establishing paternity include:
- Both parents will have a right to parenting time and can make decisions about the child’s educational and medical needs
- The parties will both be ordered to support the child financially
- The child may be eligible for Social Security benefits if either parent is disabled or has passed away
- The child can obtain health insurance coverage and life insurance proceeds from both parents
Child Custody and Support Modifications
Life is bound to change, and that means that your child custody and support terms will, too. At Fisher Law LLC, we can provide legal counsel to those who have had a change in circumstances and need to modify their child support or child custody, or those who are requesting modifications from their co-parent.
Child custody and support modifications could include custody schedules, child support amounts, or relocation with children. Whatever it might be, the attorneys at Fisher Law LLC can help individuals in Kansas and Missouri.
