An Overview of the Divorce Process in Ohio for Couples with Children Born of the Marriage

A divorce with children, especially minor children, typically makes for a more difficult divorce process in Ohio.  The attorneys at Harris & Engler try to make your divorce with children as quick and easy as possible for you and your kids.  Otherwise, when the parties to a marriage cannot agree on who gets time with the children (and when), and who pays child support (and how much), then those issues must be submitted to a judge who will decide.

There is hardly a more important issue than the custody of your child or visitation rights with your child.  The law firm of Harris & Engler has attorneys experienced with all issues surrounding getting a divorce with children.  The law firm of Harris & Engler is located in Columbus, Ohio, and its attorneys help clients successfully navigate all issues surrounding getting a divorce with children all over Central Ohio.

Parenting Issues in Divorce

Often there will be a spouse who during the marriage was otherwise an absent parent and then all of the sudden during divorce they want equal or full custody of the children. Sometimes the motivation for doing this is simply to have lower child support payments.  However, equally frequent is when a parent who was largely an absentee parent during the marriage will want to fight hard to ensure that they do not continue to be an absentee parent after the marriage is terminated by acquiring court ordered parenting time.  These issues can be resolved with the assistance of an attorney experienced with issues that frequently arise when getting a divorce with children in Columbus and greater Central Ohio.  Many issues regarding a dispute over child custody also require the appointment of a Guardian Ad Litem.

The Guardian Ad Litem's Role in Ohio

A Guardian Ad Litem is a court appointed advocate for the children.  Each parent in a divorce usually has an attorney as their advocate, and a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) is an advocate for the children.  It is usually recommended that a Guardian Ad Litem be appointed for contested custody divorces because the GAL will personally investigate the children's situation and interview the children in order to come to their own opinion of who should have child custody.  The appointment of a Guardian Ad Litem drives up the costs of a divorce because the parties have to pay the Guardian Ad Litem's fees as well as their own attorneys' fees.  You can read more about Guardian Ad Litem's here.  

What to Expect When Going Through a Divorce with Children in Ohio

When the parties to a marriage are both trying to get full custody of the children, then the Court will look at a number of factors in order to determine which parent is better suited for the role.  First and foremost, the Court will always make a determination as to what is in the best interest of the children.  

In order to determine which parent should be the child's sole custodian, the court will consider the relative incomes of each party, the support structure of each party (friends and family), the geographic location of each parent, the desires of the child, the personal history of each parent with the children (has the parent been absent/primary caretaker), and any other factor that could serve as an indication of what parent would be a better suited parent.  You can read more about child custody here.