New Jersey Child Custody Lawyer

If you are here, you are probably going through a child custody case. New Jersey child custody lawyer Bart W. Lombardo, knows what you are going through and wants to help make this situation go as smooth as possible. This is a tough situation for everyone involved. When you had your kids, you probably did not see this coming. No one wants this to happen when they start a family, so having a custody battle might seem like a horrible situation.

Mediation Versus Litigation

New Jersey Child Custody Lawyer Family Attorney Free ConsultationThe good news is that this does not have to be an awful experience. For the sake of keeping this amicable and easier for your children, you and your attorney may opt for mediation. If you and your spouse are capable of handling all of this peacefully, this will be an easier process. You have many things that you and your spouse need to deliberate.


Some examples of decision that need to be made include:

  • Who has custody while the divorce is ongoing
  • Primary versus joint custody
  • Visitation
  • Changing custody agreements
  • Education/ college decisions

If you have to go through litigation for one reason or another, you may be wondering what is necessary for that to be a successful experience. When there is too much tension for mediation, you may be worried about how taxing this custody battle can be. This is when having a great attorney by your side is so important. You may be going through this legal process for potentially years. You need to find an attorney who you like. If you don’t think you and your attorney are going to get along, that is not the attorney for you.

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You should hire an attorney who is experienced in family law matters. New Jersey child custody lawyer Bart Lombardo has a decade of experience handling child custody cases. You will find that you are in competent hands with Bart Lombardo and when you call the office, you can have him answer your questions. If you are dealing with an attorney who ignores your calls, they don’t have any interest in your concerns and you should find another attorney to represent your case.

How Custody is Determined

This is, of course, the most important step when dealing with custody. When deciding on custody, the courts will make this decision based on what is in the best interest of the child. It will always be what they believe is best for the child. A lot of variables come into play. Your child can have input in this decision if they are 12 years or older. They will observe the interactions between the children and the parents to see if that indicates an obvious choice. If one of the parents has a high-demand job with a lot of hours that keep them out of the house most nights, that will be considered.

What will also be considered is how fit the parents are. There are instances that will hugely impact a parent’s ability to have custody. If there is domestic violence, alcohol abuse, or criminal activity, the court is going to take that very seriously. If one spouse is convicted with any of these charges, they may not be able to have custody or visitation rights.

The custodial parent is not necessarily the parent who is going to be calling all of the shots. You might have one parent who has sole physical custody, but you have what’s called, legal custody. That has to do with the ability to make decisions in the child’s life. There are various combinations of custody but for the most part, a few example of how this works is as follows:

  • One parent wins physical custody, but both parents share legal custody. In this case, the child or children live with the parent who has physical custody. However, when it comes to making big decisions in their life, both parents have a say in what happens.
  • Less commonly, one parent will solely win both physical and legal custody. That means that one parent will be the sole caretaker of the child and will not have to consult with the other parent for decisions.
  • Joint custody, both physical and legal, is something that more frequently happens. In instances such as these, both parents will split time shared with their children. The exact arrangement will be made by the judge or during mediation. The parents will also make big decisions for the child together.

You should sit down with an experienced New Jersey child custody lawyer to see exactly what you want as an outcome while deciding the custody agreements.

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If you feel overwhelmed by the idea that you will be fighting to seek an arrangement that will affect your child’s life forever, please call our office today to meet with New Jersey child custody lawyer Bart Lombardo. You need to find an attorney who you trust.