Child Custody Attorneys in Las Vegas, NV

How Does Custody Work in Nevada? 

Child custody in Nevada is determined with the child’s best interest as the primary consideration. 

The state of Nevada recognizes two main types of custody:

• Legal custody pertains to a parent’s right to make significant decisions about the child’s upbringing, including education, healthcare, and religious instruction.
• Physical custody relates to where the child will live. 

Nevada strives for joint custody arrangements, believing a child benefits from a strong relationship with both parents. However, sole custody may be granted when joint custody is not in the child’s best interest. 

Parenting Plans

In addition to the above custody types, Nevada recommends that parents develop a Parenting Plan. This plan should be a comprehensive framework that outlines how parents will continue to care for and make decisions about their children. 

It should include a detailed custody and visitation schedule, specifying days and times for each parent, accounting for weekends, holidays, and school breaks to provide stability for the child. 

Communication protocols should be set, clarifying how parents exchange information and consult each other about the child's welfare. Plans for financial support can detail how the parents will share costs related to the child’s education, health insurance, and extracurricular activities. 

Additionally, parents should address how to manage transitions between homes, transportation arrangements, and guidelines for introducing new partners to the children. The plan should be flexible enough to adapt to the child's changing needs over time and anticipate methods for resolving disputes or modifying arrangements as necessary. 

Through careful consideration and collaboration, parents can create a Parenting Plan that serves the child's best interests and supports continued growth and stability.

Visiting/Parenting Timeshare

When facing a divorce or custody dispute, one of the primary issues you may encounter is determining a visitation schedule or a custody timeshare. 

The visitation or timeshare is the time you and the other parent spend with your children following a divorce or custody/paternity order. While this might seem informal, adhering to court rules and requirements is essential. Specifically, the amount of time you or the other parent receive will likely make a significant change to the child support award.

Naimi Mullins Law Group will work to ensure you get the right amount of time with your child(ren), given your circumstances, custody order, or divorce agreement. 

Our Las Vegas child custody attorneys can help you with the following:

• Draft a Parenting Plan that fulfills your children’s best interests
• Present a Parenting Plan to the other parent’s team or the court
• Modify an existing Parenting Plan by filing a motion with the court
• Ensure each party is adhering to the terms of the Parenting Plan 
• Enforce a Parenting Plan if the other parent is disregarding it or neglecting to follow the rules

How Is Custody Determined in Nevada?

Parents can determine custody arrangements independently, through negotiation or mediation, and submit their plans to the court for approval. Courts will generally approve if arrangements meet the child’s best interests standard. 

Where parents cannot agree on custody and visitation, it will be left up to the court to decide through hearings where parents can present their cases.

Family court judges review various factors in determining custody, including:

• Child's preferences: Considering the desires of the child, if they are old enough to express a reasonable preference
• Parental cooperation: Assessing each parent's willingness to cooperate and co-parent effectively, maintaining a stable and loving environment for the child
• Parent-child relationship: Evaluating the bond and relationship between the child and each parent, including emotional ties and the parent's involvement in the child's life
• Child's needs: Considering the physical, emotional, educational, and special needs of the child
• Parental fitness: Observing each parent's character and fitness, including any issues of domestic violence, substance abuse, or neglect
• Sibling relationships: Recognizing the importance of maintaining sibling relationships and any potential impact of custody arrangements
• Stability of environment: Prioritizing the need for a stable home environment, including the continuity of schooling and community involvement
• Parental employment: Considering each parent's work responsibilities and the extent to which it affects their availability and time with the child
• History of custody: Reviewing any history of who has primarily taken care of the child up until the court’s involvement
• Ability to support: Assessing each parent's financial ability to provide for the child's material needs and welfare
• Physical and mental health: Evaluating the physical and psychological health of both parents as it may affect their parenting abilities