Child Custody Law & Visitation

FAMILY LAW

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CHILD CUSTODY LAWYERS FOR FAMLIES IN EDMONTON

Disputes regarding child custody and parenting are often the most intense and contentious issues a family faces during a separation or divorce. Every parent wants to maintain a positive relationship with their child, and the threat of hurting that relationship is often what fuels venomous and lengthy custody and parenting battles.

When it comes to your children, you want experienced lawyers known for generating fair and creative custody and parenting solutions. Queck & Associates’ family law team uses a range of successful approaches to resolving custody and parenting issues.

Our experienced team combines compassion and exemplary professionalism to understand your circumstances and the challenges at hand. We work closely with you to deliver successful outcomes to ensure your family can move forward with confidence.

We are driven to secure parity, always in the best interests of you and your children. Queck & Associates can explore a broad range of available options to identify your preferred course of action, backed by the power of a professional legal approach.

Know Your Rights & Options as a Parent 

When going through divorce or separation, it is especially important to consider the parent-child relationship. Our team knows what works and what doesn’t, and we understand how important it is to maintain your focus on your children during this time.

Whether you require full-scale litigation or advice in negotiating amicably, Queck & Associates’ family lawyers can help you know your rights and options while maintaining your relationship and parenting time with your child. In many cases, there are resolutions on the table you may not have considered. Our careful approach ensures that you benefit from our experience and can make informed choices along the way to achieving your desired outcome. Find out more about custody and parenting by speaking with a lawyer from Queck & Associates’ family law team.

How Can a Family Lawyer Help You?

When a relationship or marriage breaks down, the fallout can be emotional, complex and highly challenging – especially for your children.

While every family member will want the children to be settled and happy, it is common for contentions to arise when former partners have conflicting priorities or ideas about the best solution for their family scenario.

First and foremost, the Queck & Associates family law team will walk through all of your available options. Our team ensures that you have a complete understanding of how the child custody and parenting process works and strives to ensure any decision made is one that you are happy with.

What Are The Potential Child Custody and Parenting Outcomes?

Custody and parenting are technically two different things. Custody refers to who makes decisions for the child (and has now been replaced by the term “decision-making” in the most recent changes to the Divorce Act). Parenting or parenting time refers to the amount of time each parent has the child in their care.

  • Custody (decision-making) can be either joint, where both parents have to agree on the decision, or sole, where one parent makes the decisions. Decision-making can also be split up so that some decisions are joint and some are sole. For example, the decision on what school the child goes to is joint but the decision for medical treatments is solely with one parent.
  • Parenting is generally split between primary and shared arrangements. A primary parenting arrangement is where the child is with one parent for the majority of the time. A shared parenting arrangement is where the child is with both parents roughly equally. Split parenting is also possible, where child A is primarily with parent A and child B is primarily with parent B.
  • Custody and parenting can look very different for different families. There are almost infinite combinations and possibilities that can be set up to suit the specific needs of your family.

Our role as lawyers is to explore all of the options and put together an effective and considered strategy to present your case appropriately. We will also ensure you know all of the risks inherent in any chosen action.

Should that mean seeking litigation and court proceedings, our family law team is by your side every step of the way. We help you make decisions, represent your interests, advocate for your rights and entitlements, and provide comprehensive support until the proceedings have concluded.

What Can a Family Lawyer Offer You and Your Children?

Several laws may come into play during child custody and parenting proceedings – and having a professional, experienced lawyer on your team is vital to ensuring you know how these laws influence and support your child custody and parenting case.

If you are in a position where you need to file a court application requesting a parenting order, for example, the documents associated with this request must consider those laws and show how the child’s best interests are reflected in this desired outcome.

Which Laws Impact the Outcome of a Court Application for Child Custody and Parenting?

Child custody and parenting can be a complex and multifaceted area of the law. Having a family lawyer is vital to ensure you can navigate the process with professional representation and guidance.

The relevant laws can include:

  • The federal Divorce Act
  • The Family Law Act of Alberta
  • Any Parens Patriae jurisdiction imposed by the family courts

Facing legal proceedings following a separation or divorce can be extremely stressful and add another burden to an already challenging process. The legal processes and documentation can be overwhelming at a time when you need clarity to make profound decisions about the future.

With Queck & Associates beside you, we can ensure you have space, time, information and assistance to make sound choices. We put your case forward equipped with all the supporting documentation, communication and criteria that the courts will need to make a favourable judgment.

We’re on your team and are here to help from start to finish, giving you the emotional and legal support that you need to make the right decisions for your children.

Why is a Family Lawyer a Crucial Asset in Your Child Custody and Parenting Case?

Family lawyers are passionate about children, families and people. While we harness compelling knowledge across the scope of the legal framework, our priority is always on ensuring that you emerge from a challenging period successfully.

There are many routes to a child custody and parenting agreement. In some cases, it may be substantially more affordable and less stressful to explore out-of-court settlements or negotiations, should the circumstances make this a viable option.

For example:

  • Family Mediation offers separated parents an opportunity to resolve any disputes and decide amicably on the best outcome for the children.
  • The family courts often host Parent-Education Sessions.
  • Collaborative Law processes involve teams of family lawyers to steer you through the child custody and parenting system, from dealing with financial impacts, child well-being, and custody and parenting agreements.

As your family lawyer, we will always recommend the solutions that we think are best for you and your children, based on a thorough consultation to gain an understanding of all the relevant factors.

The key to a successful child custody and parenting case is knowing your rights and legal obligations to ensure you satisfy the criteria for whichever form of custody and parenting you would like to achieve.

We’ll also prepare you for each step, such as any assessments required by the court, to ensure you and your children are readily equipped and never faced with any unexpected conditions.

By having sound legal representation, you can present your case articulately, with confidence and care to demonstrate the viability of the desired resolution.

When Do I Need to hire a Child Custody Lawyer in Edmonton?

In any separation scenario where child custody and parenting are involved, it is strongly advisable you seek professional legal advice.

Whether you feel it is likely that you will need to proceed with litigation or will be able to reach an out-of-court settlement, a family lawyer will provide independent guidance.

For example, a mediation hearing may be advisable, but you will still need to be aware of any terms or agreements made and what they might mean for long-term custody and parenting rights.

Do I Need the Support of a Family Lawyer Following an Amicable Separation?

Even where an amicable agreement is likely, a child custody family lawyer remains crucial. Our family law experts can help negotiate terms, clarify clauses and draw up legally binding documentation to secure your position for the years to come.

It’s also essential to remember that child custody doesn’t just dictate where a child will live – but also about their care and deciding on factors such as their education, health treatments and religion.

Another common scenario where a family lawyer is invaluable is when a separation has been acrimonious, and one or both partners might wish to pursue sole custody or primary parenting over joint custody. 

Separations can take a significant toll, and it’s always crucial to have a compassionate family lawyer to walk you through your decisions and provide impartial guidance so that every action has been carefully explored.

Self-representation is possible but inadvisable. Child custody and parenting hearings can profoundly affect your children, so having a highly experienced, reputable family lawyer advocating for you is critical.

At What Point Should I Hire a Family Law firm?

We recommend retaining a family lawyer in any of the following scenarios:

  • If you are going through a divorce or separation and need advice about the potential child custody and parenting outcomes for your shared children.
  • If you need to know if you should be considering a separation or filing for divorce, particularly if your ex-partner has their own legal representation.
  • When you have previously shared lawyers as a family and now require independent advice to support your position.
  • If a child custody and parenting negotiation has been proceeding, but any circumstances have changed, or you have any concerns about the outcome or impact.
  • When a custody and parenting agreement is in place, but an ex-partner remarries, the relationship deteriorates, or the terms of the agreement are not being met.
  • You are faced with the prospect of a child custody and parenting negotiation but need assistance in understanding family law, court processes, filing procedures and the options available to you.
  • Should you have a custody and parenting agreement or be further down the line with negotiations, but an ex-partner appears to have changed their mind or no longer be open to cooperation.

These are a fraction of the potential scenarios that the Queck & Associates manages. We always recommend acting quickly to make certain you have proper legal representation to advocate for your best interests and legal rights, particularly if the position appears to be getting more serious.

Where a custody and parenting court hearing is in progress, but the court imposes requirements such as classes or assessments, it is also vital to hire a family lawyer.

In that situation, we can represent you and protect the observation of your rights to ensure your commitment to being an outstanding parent has been duly communicated.

In any child custody case, a skilful child custody lawyer is essential. Our family law team offers a comprehensive range of expertise and knowledge to establish that whatever process you opt for; it will be the best possible decision for you and your children.