Understanding Child Custody Issues in Orange County for Medical Professionals

Child custody disputes are always challenging, but if you’re a medical professional, they can be more so. Your career is not only important to you but also contributes to the greater good, and along with that comes a considerable commitment to your work and long hours that can leave you feeling vulnerable in the face of a child custody case. If this is the difficult position you find yourself in, to discuss your concerns with an experienced Orange County child custody attorney.

Child Custody in Orange County

In Orange County, child custody decisions are always made in relation to the children’s best interests, and – unless there is a significant reason for ruling otherwise – this means ensuring that each parent receives a generous amount of parenting time. Prevailing wisdom and recent scientific research confirms that children are better off when they forge close, loving relationships with each parent, and Orange County courts do what they can to make this happen. Some of the best-interest factors that Orange County courts consider when making child custody determinations include the following:

• The children’s overall health and well-being
• The strength of the relationship each parent has forged with the children
• The level of each parent’s involvement in raising the children
• Any issues related to child neglect or abuse
• Any concerns regarding substance abuse on either parent’s part
• The preferences of those children who are considered mature enough to share them

Your Unique Challenges as a Medical Professional

Your work as a medical professional is uniquely challenging in relation to child custody cases for all the following reasons:

• You may work long, draining hours.
• Your schedule may be erratic.
• Your work can be emotionally taxing as well as physically exhausting.

While these factors can be viewed as complications in relation to parenting time, they do not define you as a parent, and creating a schedule that strikes a balance is key. Fortunately, a skilled child custody lawyer can help you with that.

Negotiating a Schedule that Works for You

Orange County courts recognize that children need both parents in their lives, and they also understand that not every career path fits perfectly into a standard parenting time schedule. If you and your children’s other parent are able to hammer out terms that take your unique scheduling needs into careful consideration, it puts you in an excellent position for negotiating mutually acceptable terms that bolster your children’s best interests, work for everyone, and accommodate your medical career.

If communications between you and your divorcing spouse break down, your respective child custody attorneys can negotiate on behalf of your respective rights. Mediation is also a viable option. There are several primary steps you can take to help you and your children’s other parent find common ground and create a parenting time schedule that honors your parental rights and supports your close, ongoing relationship with your children.

Document Your Schedule

As a medical professional, your work schedule can be challenging in the context of child custody. This makes documenting the hours that you work and any variables that may play a role – such as being on-call or working double shifts – critical to your efforts. By condensing the information into an organized and clear infographic, you achieve all the following:

• You help streamline the negotiation process.
• You help take any doubt about your availability or about your commitment to spending time with your children out of the equation.
• You help frame your work schedule as something that is manageable – rather than unpredictable and chaotic.

Remain Calm

The surest way to halt negotiations in their tracks is by turning up the heat on this already emotionally charged topic. By keeping your head and focusing on the task at hand, you help to cut through the drama and pave the way toward a meeting of the minds.

Try to Meet Your Divorcing Spouse Somewhere in the Middle

When it comes to child custody, it helps to remember that your divorcing spouse may want what’s best for your children. Explore that possibility. Further, the court – and experts in the field of child development – favor shared custody in which each parent spends a considerable amount of time with the children. When you approach child custody from this perspective, it can help set the stage for more fruitful negotiations.

You and your children’s other parent may be in tune with your children’s unique needs and may be better equipped than the court to craft a schedule that takes a broad view in terms of addressing your family’s needs. If your divorcing spouse, however, is more interested in hurting you than in creating a parenting time schedule that supports your children’s best interests, which can happen in the heat of divorce, proceeding to court is likely your best option.

If You Need the Court’s Intervention

If you ultimately do need the court’s intervention, the prompts for obtaining favorable results remain the same, including:

• Work closely with a trusted child custody attorney from the start.
• Be as transparent as you can be about your work schedule, and be willing to compromise, if possible.
• Demonstrate your commitment to being an effective co-parent, to supporting your ex’s relationship with your shared children, and to remaining an unwavering presence in your children’s lives.
• Stay calm and focus on presenting yourself as the competent and loving parent you are.

Consult with an Experienced Orange County Child Custody Attorney When the Need Is Clear

If you’re a medical professional who is facing a child custody case, there are additional complications related to your work schedule and other aspects of your career. The 20 experienced Orange County child custody attorneys at Minyard Morris appreciate the serious nature of your situation and have the experience, legal insight, and focus to aggressively advocate for a favorable resolution that works for you. To learn more, don’t hesitate to contact us or call us at 949-724-1111 today.

If results are important, who you retain is important. Hire the child custody lawyer medical professionals have retained for decades.