It would be very difficult to think of an issue that could be more emotional and gut-wrenching than a child custody dispute. Whatever the resolution, there are no winners. The best that can be worked for is to arrive at the arrangement that is best for the children and workable for the parents.
Reaching that best-of-all-worlds arrangement is seldom attained in the real world. The first reality that divorcing parents have to take into serious consideration is that the judge will decide custody, regardless of any agreement that the parents may have. While the judge may well agree with the parent’s plan, his agreement is not a given. The Court focuses on seeing that the children continue to have the love and support of both parents. If one parent is alleging child abuse, the Court will require proof. Judges have seen too many divorcing spouses throwing nasty charges at each other to take such accusations at face value.
Attorney Merritt C. Reitzel received her J.D. from The Dickinson School of Law in 2003 and focuses her practice on real estate and commercial law, general litigation and employment and family law. This Carlisle Child Custody Attorney does pro bono work for her community with the Dauphin County Pro Bono Guardianship Monitoring Program. Her legal experience and regard for the welfare of children would benefit anyone who needs the services of a skilled attorney in a child custody dispute.
Grandparents have rights to see their grandchildren in Pennsylvania, unlike many other states. A sole custodian parent who believes that they can arbitrarily deny grandparents any contact with their grandchildren could well find themselves back in court. If one parent dies, grandparents could be granted partial custody. The Court will look at the existing relationship between the grandparents and the remaining parent, being reluctant to come between the child and parent.
Serratelli, Schiffman & Brown, P.C represents clients who have a variety of legal needs in the greater Harrisburg and Carlisle region. The firm focuses on business and employment law, estate planning, Veteran’s assistance and Social Security disability claims and family law. If the client’s legal problem needs the services of attorneys with different specialties, the firm can assemble a team in-house able to handle the most complex issues.
