Mississippi Child Custody And Visitation Agreements

Choose The Right Lawyer For Biloxi Visitation And Support Modification Legal Matters

Going through a divorce is hard enough, it becomes much more difficult if children are involved. If you are worried about your family and your future, consider working with an understanding and compassionate attorney at The Maggio Law Firm, PC. We help individuals and families with family law issues in Gulfport, Mississippi, and the surrounding areas.

Attorney Stephen Maggio began his career more than 22 years ago and thoroughly understands the issues surrounding family law. You can feel confident when working with our firm. We will work to achieve the best possible results for you and your family.

Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation at 228-206-6637. We look forward to hearing from you.

Gulfport Child Custody Attorney

With five children of his own, Stephen Maggio is empathic and understanding to the sensitivity of children in a divorce. In a child custody and visitation case, the issues are controlled by specific criteria in the State of Mississippi. We will evaluate your situation and identify a way to get positive results that will promote the well-being of your family. There are four basic categories of child custody:

• Legal custody: A parent granted legal custody has the right to contribute to the major decisions regarding the upbringing of a child including religious, medical, and social issues. Generally, the courts will grant the parents joint legal custody, unless one of them is unfit for this purpose. This means each parent will have an equal right to contribute to the major decisions in a child’s life.
• Physical custody: A child will reside with the parent who has been awarded primary physical custody of the children. Typically, the other parent will be granted visitation, which will likely be every other weekend, half of the major holidays and an extended period of summary visitation. If the parents agree, physical custody can be joint or equally divided, many people refer to this as joint custody.
• Temporary custody: If a divorce is contested, the court will need to make arrangements for temporary legal and physical custody while the case is waiting to go to trial and until permanent legal and physical custody is established.
• Permanent custody: Once a case is tried, the court will reach a decision as to which parent will be granted permanent custody of the children. The court will also decide legal custody and visitation.

Support And Alimony

In all cases where children are concerned, the court will be required to make arrangements for the support and medical needs of the children. Child support is based initially on certain guidelines. For professionals or self-employed persons, this issue can be very complex.

Mississippi courts are allowed to consider whether one spouse will be required to pay alimony to the other. There are a number of factors that go into an award of alimony including, the length of the marriage, any marital fault, the respective needs of the spouses and the respective earning capacity of the spouses.

Because these decisions directly impact on your lifestyle and your financial future and that of your children, it is important to have an attorney that will work to protect your interest and those of your children. This includes relocation issues.

Modification

Your family’s needs will likely change some time after a divorce has been granted. In that case you will need to seek a modification, you can take away added stress and anxiety by working with an experienced attorney who listens to your concerns. If you are seeking modifications due to a change in income, remarriage or other circumstances, we will identify solutions to meet your new needs.