Roanoke Child Custody Lawyer Advocating For Your Parental Rights

Courts in Virginia prioritize the child’s best interests when making custody decisions. While it is natural to have questions and concerns, these decisions require precise legal strategies to protect your rights as a parent.

At Lutins & Pilgreen, PC, we understand how important your children are to you. Located in Roanoke and serving surrounding areas, our firm has over 20 years of experience helping families through custody disputes and other family law matters. With this experience, we will guide you step-by-step to secure the best possible outcome for you and your children.

How Virginia Courts Determine Child Custody

Virginia courts focus on the child’s well-being when determining custody by evaluating these factors:

• The child’s age and physical and emotional needs.
• Each parent’s ability to care for the child.
• The role each parent has played in the child’s upbringing.
• The child’s preferences, if they are of sufficient age and maturity.
• Any history of abuse, neglect or criminal activity.

We have over two decades of legal representation skills to help ensure your voice is heard in court.

Types Of Child Custody In Virginia

Virginia family law makes clear the following types of custody:

• Legal custody: This gives a parent the authority to make major decisions about the child’s life, including choosing which school the child attends, approving medical treatments and making other significant choices affecting the child’s well-being.
• Physical custody: Physical custody determines where the child will live, and which parent provides day-to-day care. This arrangement can include where the child resides mainly with one parent or where the child splits time between both parent’s homes.
• Sole custody: In this arrangement, one parent has complete custody rights. The other parent may still be granted visitation rights, but they have no decision-making authority or full-time living arrangements with the child.
• Joint custody: Allows both parents to share responsibilities to make decisions and foster a collaborative co-parenting relationship that prioritizes the child’s needs.

The type of custody arrangement varies based on your family’s unique circumstances, making it essential to seek tailored legal guidance.

Fighting When It Is Right For Your Child

At Lutins & Pilgreen, PC, in Roanoke, Virginia, our child custody and visitation lawyers help clients establish parenting plans and time-sharing arrangements that meet their needs, as well as the court’s requirements. Whenever possible, we help divorcing or separating parents forge agreements on child custody and visitation matters, including legally mandated mediation. If an agreement is simply not possible or desirable, we fight tenaciously for our clients to obtain custody of children in child custody battles.

We Will Guide You Through The Custody Process

A life without access to your children is a frightening prospect. Fortunately, the lawyers of Lutins & Pilgreen, PC, are highly experienced in legal matters involving child custody, visitation and relocation.

To discuss your options confidentially with a custody attorney, contact us online or by calling our Roanoke office at 540-627-5150.

*Code of Virginia § 20-124.3