Edmonton support custody law
Child Custody And Support In Edmonton, Alberta
Child custody and support are both important and sometimes contentious issues that family law lawyers routinely assist with. With both of these issues, what is in the best interests of the child is the only consideration that carries any weight with the courts in Alberta. Our Edmonton child custody and support lawyers explain your rights and obligations, as well as your child’s rights, and the opposing party’s obligations. We help you understand the law concerning these and other family law issues, and give you the advice you need to make an informed decision. Get answers to your questions and a plan for how to move forward. We welp with custody and support and, as Edmonton law firm offering full legal service, any of your legal needs. Get in touch with us by email at [email protected], phone us at (780) 571-8463.
What Does “Custody” Mean?
Custody is now an old expression. What it really means, and what we now call it, is decision making responsibility. Which parent has the day to day responsibility for making decisions in their child’s life.
Custody and Access Laws In Alberta
As mentioned above, custody really means “decision making responsibility”. Regardless of who a child might live with, the norm in Alberta is for both parents to have “joint custody”. In other words, both share decision making responsibilities, for the child. This is not for the day-to-day decisions. Those decisions are generally made by the parent who is exercising parenting time with the child. Instead, the decision making responsibility refers to the more “big picture” decisions, such as education, religious upbringing, healthcare, and the living situation. “Access” on the other hand, is more accurately referred to as “parenting time”. As you may guess, this refers to the time that a child is spending with a given parent. Parents may agree between them as to what might be the best parenting schedule for their child. If they are unable to agree, there are a number of alternate dispute resolution options available.
Child Support In Alberta
According to the law in Alberta, the child of separated or divorced parents has a right to receive child support from both parents. The amount of the payments, and who makes them generally depends on who the child lives with, and how much money each parent makes. The starting point for determining payments is the child support guidelines. Sometimes the guidelines may not be appropriate, depending on the parents’ income situation. In that case, a family lawyer can help determine what might be an appropriate child support arrangement.
An important aspect of child support is what are known as extraordinary or “section 7” expenses. Watch this video for a short explanation of the type of factors looked at when determining section 7 expenses.
For help dealing with these and all other issues that go along with child support and a relationship breakdown, the best thing you can do is book an initial consultation with a family lawyer. Of course determining parentage comes up occasionally. We help with paternity testing in those situations.
What If One Of You Wants To Move?
Where both parents spend parenting time with a child of the marriage, neither can simply move away somewhere else with the child. Whether or not one can relocate with the child will depend on a number of factors, including the terms of any court orders currently in effect. A family lawyer can help you negotiate or apply for a court order that deals with child mobility.
Vacation Or Travel With Your Child
Generally each parent may be allowed to travel with their child for vacation or other events. However, if the other parent is refusing to cooperate, or if there are valid concerns that the parent requesting travel will leave with the child and not return, a court order may be necessary.
Child Custody And Support Lawyers In Your Corner
The Child Custody and Support Lawyers at Kahane Law Office understand how difficult it is to navigate all of the issues that arise with a relationship breakdown – especially those issues that involve children. It can be difficult to find the information that is specific to your situation, as each situation is unique. Because of this, our Lawyers craft a custom plan to help you resolve all of the issues you are facing.
Hiring Edmonton Child Custody And Support Lawyers
Hiring a Family Lawyer at Kahane Law Office in Edmonton starts with booking an initial consultation. At this meeting you relieve some stress by getting answers to your questions. In addition, you learn about the law and how it applies to your specific situation. Lastly, you get legal advice about what to do next. We provide initial consultations for a reasonable flat rate with not further obligations. Call us today at (780) 571-8463 or email [email protected].
If you need more help than simply a consultation, we will provide you with cost certainty for moving your matter forward. Your lawyer will prepare a plan for what happens next, which details the specific tasks and the associated legal fees. Before you pay a retainer you know exactly what that retainer will be used for.