Lehi Child Custody Attorney

An Experienced and Personable Lawyer with a Winning Reputation

Child custody can be one of the most nerve-wracking disputes to resolve in a divorce. Who will the children live with? Will you still be able to maintain a parent-child relationship? Our child custody lawyer at SeegLawUtah has a strong reputation for winning custody for her clients. She is genuinely passionate about helping you obtain the best results she can. Attorney Heather Seegmiller will fight with you and celebrate with you. Let’s start strategizing your child custody case today.

Contact SeegLawUtah online for a consultation. Serving parents in Highland, Utah County, and Salt Lake County.

Physical and Legal Custody

Utah offers two types of custody to parents – physical custody and legal custody. Physical custody is where the child will live, and legal custody is the legal authority to make important decisions for the child (e.g., healthcare, education, religion).

Physical and legal custody can be shared jointly between the parents or awarded solely to one parent. If one parent has sole physical custody, the other parent must be granted regular visitation, or parent-time, with the child.

Visitation (Parent-Time)

Parents can discuss a visitation agreement on their own, which must establish weekly, monthly, holiday, and summer visits. If a parent has posed a threat to the child, such as because of drug or substance abuse, the judge may award them supervised visitation instead of regular visitation.

A noncustodial parent is allowed a minimum of 1 weeknight per week with the child and overnights every other weekend. It is up to the parents to detail the full schedule, but if they cannot reach an agreement, the court will make an arrangement based on the child’s best interests.

Best Interests of the Child

When determining the child custody and visitation arrangement, the court must do what they believe to be in the child’s best interests. Such best-interest factors include:

• each parent’s ability and desire to care for the child;
• each parent’s moral and financial conduct;
• the history and nature of each parent’s relationship with the child;
• the willingness of each parent to facilitate continuous contact between the child and the other parent;
• the impact of a child’s relationship with extended family members;
• evidence of domestic violence, neglect, or abuse involving the child or other parent;
• the child’s preference if they are 14 years or older;
• any other factor deemed relevant.

If the court is considering joint legal or physical custody, they will also consider how such a joint arrangement might benefit the child by looking at:

• the distance between the parents' homes;
• co-parenting skills, such as the ability to appropriately communicate with the other parent and encourage the sharing of love and affection for the other parent;
• each parent’s willingness and ability to protect the child from conflict that may arise between them; and
• each parent’s ability to cooperate with each other and make decisions jointly.

If you are dealing with a child custody concern, whether you are in the midst of a custody battle or have questions about requesting a modification of your order, SeegLawUtah can help. We have won custody for a lot of parents in Utah, and we are genuinely invested in getting the best results for you that we can. We know the ins and outs of the family legal system, and we will provide the personalized, results-driven advocacy that you and your child deserve.

Schedule a consultation with SeegLawUtah online to get started today.