Negotiating child custody is an important part of the child custody process and the aftermath of the breakdown of the relationship with the other parent.
It is critical to understand that negotiating child custody is not like other negotiations you may have carried out before, for example when you were buying a house or car.

Child custody negotiations

Child custody negotiation must have at the forefront the interests of the child. No matter how you feel now about the other parent or how they feel about you negotiating child custody must always bear the interests of the child in mind.

Because if you don’t, the courts are mandated and obliged by law to grant custody with the primary consideration being the best interests of the child. In other words, no matter what agreement you may come to with the other parent after some tough negotiations, this agreement can always be overturned by the court.

For this reason any agreement you come to must be a reasonable one and one that has the best interests of the child as the primary factor.

Child Custody Attorneys

Child custody attorneys who are experienced in their field recognize the factors outlined above and recognize that adversarial and bitter child custody negotiations only succeed in driving up legal costs for both sides and runs the risk of being overturned by the court eventually if called upon to do so. Keep in mind that there is a presumption in most states in the U.S. of maintaining the status quo though so if your dispute ends up before the court and you are looking for a change or modification then you will have a hard time rebutting this presumption.

For this reason you need a good child custody attorney at the outset who is smart enough and experienced enough to recognize the benefits of negotiating an agreement at the outset that is best for both parents and child and which will keep legal costs down and stand up to the scrutiny of the family law court if it is ever examined by a family law judge.

Negotiating child custody therefore should not be carried out in an adversarial and confrontational fashion with a view to getting one up on the other side-it should be done with a view to getting an agreed outcome with only one winner-your child.