Baltimore, MD Parenting Plan Attorneys

Lawyers for Parenting Agreements in Divorce and Family Law Cases in Baltimore, Maryland

When a couple with children chooses to end their relationship, they will need to address a variety of issues related to where their children will live, how parenting time with each parent will be handled, and how they will make important decisions about their children's futures. As they handle a divorce or child custody case in family court, they will need to create a parenting plan that answers all of these questions.

Because the terms of a parenting plan can shape a family's future, it is important to make sure all issues related to children will be addressed correctly. At Silverman Thompson, our lawyers help parents develop parenting plans that will help them meet their children's needs while protecting parent-child relationships. We work to ensure that our clients can put practical frameworks for co-parenting in place.

What Is a Parenting Plan?

A parenting plan is a written agreement that ensures that parents understand how their children will be raised after their separation or divorce. In addition to addressing legal details related to child custody, it can also provide an understanding of day-to-day and week-to-week concerns that may affect children's lives when they spend time with each parent.

Maryland family courts will often encourage parents to work together to negotiate the terms of parenting plans. This can help to reduce conflict while providing children with stability. A parenting plan can answer the questions that parents may have about how child-related matters will be handled, helping them to avoid co-parenting disputes in the future.

Legal Custody

Some of the most important issues a parenting plan will address will be related to legal custody. A parent with legal custody will have the authority to make decisions about their children's lives. These may include decisions about education, healthcare, religious upbringing, and extracurricular activities, as well as other concerns related to a child's development and well-being.

Joint Legal Custody

In many cases, both parents will share the authority and responsibility to make major decisions about their children. Under a joint legal custody arrangement, parents will need to work together to make significant decisions, such as where a child will attend school and what medical treatments they will receive. Joint legal custody may be beneficial in cases where parents can communicate and cooperate as they make decisions for their children.

A parenting plan can detail how parents will communicate about major decisions, what happens when they cannot agree, and whether any specific areas of decision-making may be delegated to one parent alone. By addressing these issues clearly, a parenting plan can help parents avoid conflict in the future while encouraging them to work together and put their children's best interests first.

Sole Legal Custody

In some cases, decision-making authority for children may be granted to one parent. Courts may award sole legal custody if conflict will prevent parents from working together to make decisions or if there are concerns about one parent's judgment or fitness. Even if sole legal custody will be appropriate, a parenting plan may include terms that will ensure that the non-custodial parent will remain informed about significant events in children's lives and give them input into certain types of decisions.

Physical Custody and Parenting Time

Physical custody addresses where the children will live and how much time they will spend in each parent's home or with parents in other situations. A parenting plan should establish a clear, detailed schedule that addresses regular parenting time, holidays and school breaks, vacations, and any other circumstances that may affect the physical custody of children.

A parenting plan will provide a regular weekly schedule, ensuring that parents understand which days and times the children will be with each parent. It may also detail when transitions between the parents' homes will occur and how pickups, drop-offs, or transportation will be handled.

Parents will also need to address major holidays and breaks from school, including Thanksgiving, winter break, Christmas, spring break, and summer vacations. Certain holidays may be alternated between parents in odd and even years, or holiday periods may be divided between the parents' homes. Other days may also be addressed, including children's birthdays, each parent's birthday, other family birthdays or anniversaries, Mother's Day and Father's Day, and any religious holidays or other days that may matter to a family.

Communication Between Parents and With Children

Effective co-parenting will usually require parents to communicate with each other about their children's lives. A parenting plan may address how these communications will be handled. It may provide details about how often the parents will communicate with each other and whether they may use phone calls, email, text messages, or a co-parenting app. Rules for communication can help reduce conflict and encourage parents to work together.

It will also be important to make sure children will be able to maintain good relationships with both parents. A parenting plan can address the children's right to communicate with a parent while they are staying with the other parent. The plan may detail appropriate forms of communication, such as phone calls or video calls. It may also specify reasonable times for these communications while making sure neither parent will undermine or discourage the children's relationship with the other parent.

Handling Disagreements and Modifications

Parents may encounter situations that they did not expect when they created a parenting plan, and families may change in ways that could require adjustments to be made. A parenting plan can provide details about how these situations will be handled.

Dispute Resolution

When co-parents disagree about child-related issues, they may want to make sure minor conflicts will not escalate into more serious disputes that could require court involvement. A parenting plan may include information about dispute resolution processes, such as requiring parents to participate in mediation before going to court.

Relocation Provisions

A parenting plan may address what will happen if one parent wishes to relocate to a new city, county, or other region. Both parents may want to include terms that will prevent a relocation that could affect their ability to spend time with their children or be involved in their lives. A parenting plan may include requirements for providing notice of a planned relocation, restrictions on the distance between parents' homes, or other provisions that address how relocations may be handled.

Modifications

Either parent may file a request in court to modify their parenting plan. When requesting a modification, a parent will usually be required to provide evidence showing that circumstances affecting the parents or children have changed that will require adjustments to child custody or parenting time. They will also need to show that their proposed modifications will provide for their children's best interests.

Contact Our Baltimore Parenting Plan Lawyers

When addressing legal issues related to child custody, the team at Silverman Thompson can help you develop a parenting plan that will meet the needs of your children and your family. Our lawyers understand what Maryland courts consider when addressing parenting arrangements, and we can advocate for solutions that will help you care for your children effectively while maintaining positive family relationships. Contact our Baltimore, MD parenting agreement attorneys at 410-385-2225 to arrange a consultation.