Child Custody

Focusing on the Welfare of Your Children

At Andrew M. Smith, P.A. in Boca Raton, Florida, we work with parents to formulate child custody agreements and parenting plans. Our focus is on the best interests and welfare of your children and to craft an agreement that is acceptable to the court and fair to both parents. Contact our Boca Raton office by phone at 561‑961-4665 or by e‑mail through this Web site to speak to our experienced Florida child custody attorney. We offer a low cost initial consultation.

Answering Your Questions and Addressing Your Concerns

Do you have questions and concerns regarding the custody of your minor children, including questions regarding the relationship between child custody and child support? Have you been denied visitation rights? Has your co‑parent refused to abide by your timesharing arrangement? At Andrew M. Smith, P.A., we can answer those all‑important questions.

Factors to Determine Child Custody

In Florida, the primary focus in child custody proceedings is the best interests and welfare of the child. Among the factors a court will consider include:

• Capacity and disposition of each parent to facilitate and encourage a close and continuing parent‑child relationship, to honor the time‑sharing schedule, and to be reasonable when changes are required
• The moral character and mental and physical health of each parent
• Whether there has been child abuse
• The capacity and disposition of each parent to protect the child from the ongoing litigation as demonstrated by not discussing the litigation with the child, not sharing documents or electronic media related to the litigation with the child, and refraining from disparaging comments about the other parent to the child
• The geographic viability of the parenting plan, with special attention paid to the needs of school‑age children and the amount of time to be spent traveling to effectuate the parenting plan. This factor does not create a presumption for or against relocation of either parent with a child

We will work with you to identify factors relevant to child custody determinations and help you to communicate those factors and your situation to the court.

Avoiding a Child Custody Battle

Attorney Andrew M. Smith, the founder of our firm, knows how destructive a contentious custody battle can be. He hopes parents feel the same way in that they truly don’t want to fight over their children. With that in mind, he helps his clients negotiate child custody arrangements and parenting plans. This approach often saves time, money, and heartache, and makes the children’s best interests paramount.