In past generations, it was nearly always presumed that custody of children would be awarded to their mother in a divorce. In fact, many family scenarios involved fathers who spent most of their time “at the office” and rarely interacted with their families at home. Nowadays, however, paternity issues are quite different, and many fathers in Arizona and elsewhere wish to maintain active roles in their children’s lives; in fact, some pursue full or shared custody in court.
The court makes final decisions regarding custody, visitation and support. However, most judges take parents’ comments into consideration along with several other regulating factors. For instance, ages of children, how much time each parent spent with children prior to divorce, employment status and specific needs of children are other issues that may affect the court’s ultimate ruling.
Fathers who wish to increase their chances of obtaining full or partial custody are wise to act alongside guidance from an experienced family law attorney. Overcoming paternity-related obstacles may be less difficult with a personal advocate who understands the law acting on one’s behalf. For fathers whose paternity is established, an attorney can make certain the opportunity to exercise parental rights is available.
Not all issues regarding child custody pertain to married men or those who are divorced. Single fathers, too, may have need of guidance regarding such matters. For those in Arizona, a first logical step to take in seeking answers to paternity questions is to request a meeting with an experienced family lawyer.
Source: singleparents.about.com, “How Can Fathers Get Full Custody?“, Debrina Washington, Accessed on Dec. 7, 2016
