Divorce can be difficult and stressful for everyone involved, INCLUDING the children. Fortunately, Missouri law favors joint custody of children. This way the children have frequent contact with both parents. In some divorce cases, sole custody is granted to one parent. When one parent is granted sole custody, typically the other is awarded visitation. When child custody and visitation arrangements are made, the court looks at what is best for the child. If you are going through a divorce and trying to find the best custody arrangement that works for your children, you need to know all that is involved when establishing child custody. Deputy & Mizell has seen several divorce cases and our experienced divorce attorneys at the Lake of the Ozarks are here to answer some frequently asked questions pertaining to visitation rights in MO.
Frequently Asked Questions Pertaining to Visitation Rights in MO
Q: What is visitation?
A: Visitation is the time that the parent who did not receive full custody gets to spend with the children. A visitation plan can state the routine visitation times, including holidays and summers. The more specific your visitation plan is, the less of a chance there is for miscommunication and confusion.
Q: Can a judge order supervised visitation or no visitation?
A: Yes. Missouri law specifically provides that frequent, continuing and meaningful contact with both parents after a separation has taken place is in the best interest of the child, EXCEPT for certain cases where the court has reason to believe such contact is NOT in the best interest of the child. Under the appropriate circumstances, the court can order supervised visitation or visitation rights at all. For example, if one parent or a person residing with the parent has been convicted of a felony sexual offense involving a child victim, the court cannot award custody or unsupervised visits to that parent.
Q: How can I increase my chances at getting a larger custody agreement?
A: There are things you can do to try and get more time with your children. There are also things you can do that can hurt your chances with the court granting you more time with your children. It’s important to realize that anything you say or do in front of your children and the other parent could make its way back to the judge. You should consult with an experienced divorce attorney at the Lake of the Ozarks when trying to get more time with you children, when it comes to a child custody case.
Q: Will my child need to appear in court?
A: Typically, in non-contested cases, where both parties have settled and agreed to all of the issues surrounding the custody, visitation and support of the child, there is no need for the child to appear in court. If the case is contested, there are certain situations where it may be necessary for your child to testify in court.
Having Trouble with Your Child Custody Agreement?
You can rely on Deputy & Mizell to pursue every available option in an effort to ensure the best possible situation for your children. Our attorneys fight aggressively to obtain the best possible outcome for your case. Our opponents know that we will not hesitate to go to court in order to protect our clients’ interests. We have experience handling many types of divorce cases and you can count on us to be there for you in your time of need. If you are going through a stressful divorce, call one our offices listed below for your free consultation today.
Contact Deputy & Mizell, LLC to schedule your private (FREE) consultation today.
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