Child Custody

St. Charles Child Custody Lawyers

Comprehensive Client Service on Children’s Issues in Missouri Family Law

At The Bellon Law Group, our attorneys advise clients about child custody, child support and parenting issues that can come up in a variety of situations: divorce, paternity, domestic violence, post-divorce modification or proposals by a custodial parent to relocate away from Missouri or Greater St. Louis. If you need advice about the best ways to protect the stability of your parent-child relationship, contact us in St. Charles for a consultation.

Call 636-949-3111 in St. Charles for Child Custody Advice

Except for child support issues, which are determined mainly under the Missouri Child Support Guidelines formula, family problems concerning children are to be resolved according to the best interests of the children involved. If a dispute goes to court, the judge will need to decide which of the competing arrangements best advances the child’s best interests under the particular facts of the case. The judge can also order custody and visitation terms that neither parent really wants, if it appears that the child’s interests require it.

Child custody issues can come up in paternity cases in much the same way as they do in divorce. Once paternity has been established and a child support obligation is in place, the father can move for child custody or a visitation schedule under the same best interests standards that would apply in a divorce case.

Our lawyers help divorcing, separated or unmarried parents understand how a court is likely to view the best interests of a child in a given case. We also work closely with our clients to make sure that your goals for physical custody or visitation are realistic, give due recognition to the rights of the other parent, and take account of any special circumstances or needs that characterize your family’s unique dynamics.

In most cases, stable and secure relationships with both parents will be presumed to be in a child’s best interests. Sometimes, however, problems related to mental illness, substance abuse or family violence will require one parent or the other to get professional help. Supervised visitation arrangements will usually be necessary until the troubled parent makes demonstrable progress on his or her problems.

Our trial experience can represent an important advantage if your custody or relocation dispute appears headed for court, but in most situations we can find a way to resolve a disagreement through negotiation. That way, you can keep control of the arrangements that make best sense for you and your children.

To find out more about our approach to client service in parent-child disputes of all kinds, contact a St. Charles child custody attorney at The Bellon Law Group.