It’s kind of like the central software program or operating system that drives the New Jersey divorce computer for impending exes who have children.
We’re talking about divorce-linked parenting plans, which we spotlight in our blog post today at the Somerville family Law Office of Rajeh A. Saadeh.
Formal parenting agreements haven’t always been a mainstay fixture of American divorce. Such agreements have risen to prominence over recent decades, though, and are now indeed a central element in legions of decouplings across the country.
In fact, states commonly require divorcing parents with outstanding custody issues to mutually create a parenting plan, statutorily setting forth and detailing such a requirement. New Jersey courts frequently evaluate such plans.
What does a parenting agreement primarily focus on?
Parenting plans zero in on the details of a workable strategy relevant to all important custody/visitation issues. Those are often many and complex in any given case, and a plan works as a blueprint to guide rationality and optimal outcomes. A family law judge will closely examine a parenting agreement to see whether it establishes both parents’ rights in a fair manner and – most importantly – promotes the best interests of their children.
What will a parenting plan typically address?
Every family is unique, of course, and their parenting agreement will necessarily reflect that. Despite variances, though, a plan will customarily spotlight some common matters. Those include visitation details, data relevant to major decision making, holiday schedules and education matters, specifics concerning third-party interactions (e.g., contacts with grandparents and other relatives) and additional concerns.
The bottom line with a parenting plan is that such an agreement will weigh in on all key matters that broadly address co-parenting. That spells important subject matter, which can be addressed in the divorce context with a proven family law attorney.