Family Law

Legal Advisers And Trial Lawyers Serving Ohio Since 1978

Practicing Family Law Since 1978 | You Can Rely On Our Experience

Many divorcing parents are quick to tell us that protecting their future relationship with their children is their top priority. At Stebelton Snider, our lawyers work with our clients to find the best ways to secure their rights as parents while advancing the best interests of the children caught in divorce.

To learn how our long experience with the resolution of parent-child issues in divorce and paternity cases can benefit you and your family, contact our office in Lancaster. There is no single formula for a successful approach to child custody and parenting time issues, so we help you develop your own goals based on a solid understanding of your rights and responsibilities under Ohio law. Then we go to work to help you achieve them.

Make Your Important Custody Decisions With Sound Advice

The first question to resolve has to do with where the children will live during and after the divorce. The parents can agree to an essentially equal division of primary residential care, or the designation of one parent’s home as the primary residence for the child. The nonresidential parent then gets a regular parenting time schedule with the child.

Secondly, the parents need to allocate other rights and responsibilities and whether legal custody is to be shared (shared parenting or joint custody) or if decisions are to be made by just one parent.

Both parents are entitled by law to maintain substantial and stable relationships with their children, unless it appears to the court that the best interests of the children involved require something different. Those best interests will guide the judge’s decision as to any dispute between the parents on custody or parenting time issues. Our attorneys can advise you about the specific facts of your case that will most likely compel a judge to rule one way or the other.

We will also help you find ways to avoid and resolve conflicts with the other parent so that you can keep the focus on your child’s welfare during and after the divorce. We can also work with parents in high-conflict situations where a history of drug abuse or family violence calls into serious question a parent’s fitness for shared parenting or a regular parenting time schedule.

Call Stebelton Snider for Legal Advice in Central Ohio

The family law attorneys of Stebelton Snider advise people in divorce, dissolution, and paternity actions. We also work with grandparents who want to secure visitation rights with their grandchildren. If you need advice about modifying or enforcing child custody or child support rights, we can help with those cases, too.

Contact us in Lancaster at 740-654-4141 to learn more about the scope of our work with people who need advice about parent-child issues in central or southern Ohio.