Today's mobile society often creates difficult decisions for divorced parents and their children, particularly when a parent needs to move out of the state where the children reside. Last October, I wrote a blog about the importance and value of collaborative divorce for couples with children, which reviewed the case of a mother's petition to move from Illinois to California with her minor child due to a change in employment. Recently, my firm worked on a similar case that generated a very positive outcome, proving once again that divorce collaboration is a powerful tool for solving custody and visitation issues. This post will focus on Child Custody and Visitation for parents in different states.

Visitation For Parents In Different States: CASE OVERVIEW

The focus of this case was to resolve a child custody and visitation matter between parents who lived in two different states. Complicating the overall issues between the adults was the fact that their child had never left Illinois and was not comfortable traveling to another state.

Our initial strategy was to make the custody and visitation matters a priority, working to first resolve the parenting plan so that everyone involved, especially the child, would have the time they needed to work on the emotions they were all experiencing.

Visitation For Parents In Different States: SATISFYING RESULTS THROUGH COLLABORATION

By helping the parties to focus on the child and not the entire divorce settlement (money, debt, support, etc.), they were able to develop a parenting plan that first and foremost met the needs of their child.

Once that parenting plan was established, the other aspects of the divorce were resolved more quickly, in part because the parties had first settled the emotionally difficult matter of child visitation and custody.

This case is another great example of how collaborative divorce and divorce mediation services can create outcomes that work for all parties in the Illinois divorce process, often without much or any time spent in a courtroom.

As an attorney who is specially trained in these practices, I can help you achieve the same kinds of positive outcomes in your divorce especially for Visitation For Parents In Different States. Contact me for more information.