Service Details

Family Law: Custody

 

Protecting Your Rights to Custody and Visitation

Our experienced attorneys advocate for the rights of parents, grandparents and third parties. Reaching an agreement about child custody and visitation is often an emotionally challenging process. We will explain your rights and the legal standards applicable in custody matters. We will help you understand the differences between primary custody, partial custody, shared custody and other arrangements. Our attorneys will advocate for your rights as a parent with the best interests of your child or children in mind. We also represent grandparents and other relatives or third party caregivers seeking to assert their rights under Pennsylvania law.

Empowering Our Clients to Make Informed Decisions

Our firm will guide you through the various stages of a custody proceeding, from emergency and temporary orders, conciliation conferences, pre-trial conferences and hearings. We will advocate for your interests and that of your child or children at all stages of the custody process and explain the costs and advantages of proceeding with each stage. While the decisions are ultimately yours, our attorneys will empower you with the necessary information to make informed and reasoned decisions that you believe are in the best interests of your child or children.

Providing Assistance as Your Family Changes

Our attorneys are there to advocate your interests when situations change after a Custody Order is in place. Whether you or the other parent is seeking to relocate, change jobs or your child's interests or needs have changed, we will assist you in seeking or challenging a custody modification. A change in the circumstances of one parent may also give rise to grandparents' rights or the rights of third parties. Whatever your circumstances, we will aggressively and efficiently pursue your interests in maintaining or changing the original Custody Order.

Recent Updates & Recommended Articles from the Lancaster Law Blog:

• Shared Custody: Presumed to be in the Child’s Best Interest, Perhaps for Some?
  •  The so-called Tender Years Doctrine fell by the wayside in the law several years ago, but many believe the theory behind it holds true. That is, by anatomical default, a mother has a more significant bond with a child born to her and from her body thereby placing her in a better position to continue that bond and meet a young child’s needs. However, that thinking to many people is antiquated and the role and importance of a father’s bond with their children at the moment of birth going forward has gained popular consideration and is now being recognized by courts
• Local Co-Parenting Success Story
  •  For the Hawkeys of Lancaster and Bankerts of York, co-parenting wasn’t always easy.  They struggled at the beginning, simply going through custody exchanges without much interaction.  But recently they realized they needed to do more for their daughter.  When a rare family dinner made their daughter so happy, they decided to do more.
• Custody and The Holidays
  • Christmas is typically filled with tradition. Maybe you head to the Christmas Eve service followed by dinner at grandmas. Or maybe it’s Christmas Eve with the In-laws and Christmas day with your parents.  But if you share custody of your kids, traditions may be difficult to maintain and could possibly even have to change.