Child Custody and Visitation

Avoiding and Resolving Child Custody Disputes

Few contested issues in divorce cases have more emotional impact than child custody or visitation. After all, the nature of your relationship with your children is at stake. Because these are such emotionally charged issues, it is not always easy for a parent to think clearly about them. Our role as your attorneys is to help you understand your legal responsibilities as well as your rights, and to keep the focus squarely on the best interests of your children.

Call 573-874-3100 for advice about child custody and visitation in Missouri

Often, it can be best to resolve custody and visitation problems through negotiation and agreement rather than through court hearings whenever possible. However, when she is unable to get both parents to act fairly, responsibly, and in the best interests of the children, our primary family law attorney, Brandi L. Byrd, is ready and willing to present your case to a judge in a vigorous and effective way at trial.

When a troubled family history involving drug abuse or domestic violence means that you really cannot trust the other parent with shared custody or unsupervised visitation, Ms. Byrd will present these issues to the court with the support of convincing evidence so that the judge who is deciding your case has the full story.

Ms. Byrd is also an experienced Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) representing children in cases where their care and custody is disputed and they need a voice to make sure their best interests are served.

We offer practical advice and committed advocacy on the full range of child custody and visitation issues that can come up both in and out of divorce. These can include:

• Modification or enforcement of visitation orders
• Child custody disputes between unmarried parents
• Parental relocation issues when the custodial parent wants to move out of state
• Grandparents' visitation rights
• Custody problems involving gay or lesbian parents or same-sex couples

For more information about the best ways to approach child custody and visitation disputes in Missouri, contact a lawyer at The Copeland Law Firm in Columbia, Missouri.