Child custody

Jason believes it is critically important to avoid the disruption of litigation when children are involved whenever possible.  For clients going through divorce, it can sometimes be hard to address the needs of the children while also managing the emotional pain that is caused by the divorce process. Jason Wagner has the ability to handle the most sensitive child custody cases and can assist in the protection of the rights and interests of children caught in the middle of a divorce.

Often times parents are struggling to make cooperative decisions about their children. Parents often feel like they lack the necessary direction needed to resolve unexpected parenting issues. Court orders or previous agreements can be unclearly written and this causes parents to disagree about how to implement a parenting protocol.  For most parents, it is too expensive and time consuming to go to court every time a new parenting issue comes up. Mediation is a great option for these parents. Mediation typically results in quick resolution of issues and saves time and money versus litigation.

Common custody issues include:

• Legal custody
• Physical custody (timeshare arrangements)
• Holiday allocations
• Vacation requests
• Special events
• Jobs and Driving (for older children)
• Parental communication
• Parent/child communication
• Extracurricular activities
• Decision-making about therapy and or health care for children
• School placement
• Discipline
• Daycare
• Religious education 
• How changes to custody agreements should be handled 

Jason knows the process of court will use to decide these parenting issues and can help your family resolve child related disagreements in a cost efficient and lower stress manner.

Parenting plans

A parenting plan establishes the rules relating to childcare following divorce. Important issues--such as time spent with each parent and parenting responsibilities--are usually included in a parenting plan.

Jason's experience can help even high conflict parents develop a parenting plan which establishes the components of child care following a divorce. The plan will include the time spent with each parent and the parenting responsibilities.  Please see our Parenting Plan page for further information on parenting plan concepts.

The following concepts will likely be addressed in your parenting plan:

• Child's educational needs.
• Child's medical needs.
• Activities that the child is involved in (extracurricular activities).
• Parents schedules.
• Where parents live.
• Vacations and holidays.
• Sharing expenses and costs of raising a child.

It is important to remember that if the parents do not agree to a parenting plan, then the court will make its own determinations regarding the child and parental responsibilities. No two families are identical and there is no approach to establishing a parenting plan that works for all families. This is why the vast majority of parents would prefer that they retain control over the parenting plan rather than turn it over to a judge. Mediation is a great option for these parents because it allows them to think bigger than a judge—it allows them to think like a parent.

Parental Alienation Syndrome

Parental alienation syndrome (PAS) is when a child is exposed to behavior by one parent that disparages the other parent. Even if unintentional, PAS can cause a child to develop negative feelings about the other parent.

Often, parents intentionally make harmful comments to change the child's view of the other parent. The alienating parent behaves this way in an effort to gain an upper hand in child custody proceedings or in an effort to retaliate against the other parent. Parental alienation during divorce proceedings can cause severe and lasting damage to parent/child relationships.

Jason Wagner has experience with dealing with parental alienation issues and working with parents in Mediation to resolve these conflicts. If these issues are present in your divorce, Jason can help with these tactics and preserve everyone's relationship with their children.

How Wagner Family Law Can Help

Let Jason help your family take legal steps to create a Custody, Timeshare or parenting plan that meets the needs of the children and the parents. Jason can assist with all decisions relating to the children's health, education and welfare--creating a "happy childhood plan" for you and your children. Contact us today for a free consultation by filling out our online form or calling at 916-238-3884 to see how we can help you on these and other issues in your divorce.