Custody and parent-time are often two of the most emotional and contested issues in a divorce, parentage case, or post-decree dispute. Parents want to protect their children, preserve their relationship, and make sure court orders reflect the child’s needs, safety, schedule, and long-term stability.
Anderson & Rogers helps parents in Lehi, Utah understand their rights and options in custody and parent-time matters. Our family law attorneys explain what to expect, communicate clearly throughout the case, and work hard to protect your parental rights under the facts of your situation.
Led by attorneys with decades of legal experience, Anderson & Rogers helps clients address custody, parent-time schedules, parenting plans, custody evaluations, relocation concerns, and disputes involving the best interests of minor children.
If you need help requesting custody, responding to a custody claim, changing parent-time, or protecting your relationship with your child, our legal team can help you take the next step with confidence.
Custody And Parent-Time Decisions Focus On The Child’s Best Interests
The court’s ruling regarding custody and parent-time is based on a legal standard known as the best interests of the minor child. This means the court is not deciding custody based on what either parent wants most, but on what arrangement best supports the child’s safety, stability, development, and well-being.
Custody and parent-time cases may involve:
Each case is different. The court may review the child’s relationship with each parent, each parent’s ability to meet the child’s needs, past parenting involvement, domestic violence or safety concerns, willingness to support the child’s relationship with the other parent, and other legally relevant factors.
Legal Custody, Physical Custody, Sole Custody, And Joint Custody
Custody terms can be confusing, especially when parents are trying to resolve a case during an emotional time. Legal custody and physical custody are different, and each can be awarded in different ways depending on the facts.
Legal custody generally refers to decision-making authority for important issues involving the child, such as education, health care, general welfare, and religion. Physical custody generally refers to where the child lives and how overnights are divided between the parents.
Custody may be structured in several ways:
The right custody arrangement depends on the child’s needs, the parents’ circumstances, the ability to cooperate, distance between homes, work schedules, school schedules, safety concerns, and other facts the court may consider.
Parent-Time Schedules And Parenting Plans
Parent-time refers to the days, times, overnights, holidays, school breaks, summer schedule, transportation details, and other arrangements that define how each parent spends time with the child. A parent-time schedule should be clear enough for both parents to follow and stable enough for the child to rely on.
Parent-time schedules may include:
When parents agree to joint custody, a parenting plan may be required. A strong parenting plan can address decision-making, communication, exchanges, transportation, holidays, relocation issues, dispute resolution, and other topics that help reduce conflict later.
Custody Evaluations And Evidence
A custody evaluation may be used when parents cannot agree on custody or parent-time and the court needs additional information. The purpose of a custody evaluation is to provide the court with information it can use to make decisions about custody and parent-time in the child’s best interests.
Evidence in a custody or parent-time case may include:
Why Hire A Local Custody And Parent-Time Attorney In Lehi?
Hiring a local custody and parent-time attorney in Lehi can help you work with a legal team that understands Utah family law, Utah County courts, local procedures, school schedules, parenting logistics, and the practical concerns parents face during custody disputes.
Custody and parent-time cases in Lehi may involve children in local schools, extracurricular activities, work schedules, exchanges between homes, blended families, relocation concerns, and parents trying to reduce conflict while protecting their children. A local attorney can help connect the legal issues to the real-life facts that matter most.
Anderson & Rogers understands the factors Utah courts consider when deciding custody and parent-time. Our attorneys take time to explain your options, prepare evidence, develop strategy, and advocate for your position while keeping the child’s best interests at the center of the case.
When you work with a local attorney, you are not hiring someone to simply prepare paperwork. You are hiring a legal advocate who understands the community, the court process, and the importance of protecting your relationship with your child.
Speak With A Custody And Parent-Time Attorney Today
If you need help with custody, parent-time, a parenting plan, a custody evaluation, relocation concerns, or a dispute involving your child, you do not have to navigate the legal process alone. The attorneys at Anderson & Rogers are here to answer your questions, explain your legal options, and help you determine the best path forward.
Custody and parent-time orders can affect your child’s routine, your parenting rights, holidays, school schedules, transportation, communication, and long-term family stability. We will listen to your situation, explain what to expect, and help you decide if our firm is the right fit for your case.
Call Anderson & Rogers today at (801) 768-7070 to schedule your free consultation with an experienced Custody And Parent-Time Attorney. We are proud to serve clients in Lehi and throughout Utah with knowledgeable, straightforward legal representation when they need it most.
FAQs About Custody And Parent-Time
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Legal custody refers to the right to make important decisions for the child, including decisions about education, health care, general welfare, and religion. Physical custody refers to where the child lives and how overnights are divided between the parents.
Sole custody means decision-making authority, physical custody, or both are allocated primarily to one parent. Joint custody means legal decision-making authority, physical custody, or both are shared by the parents under the terms of the court order.
The court focuses on the best interests of the child. Factors may include the child’s needs, each parent’s past conduct, each parent’s ability to act in the child’s best interests, the bond between the child and each parent, safety concerns, and other legally relevant facts.
A custody evaluation provides the court with information it can use to make decisions about custody and parent-time. It may be necessary when parents cannot reach an agreement and the court needs additional insight into the child’s needs, parent-child relationships, and parenting circumstances.
The court may consider a child’s preference, especially when the child is old enough and mature enough to express a reasoned preference. However, the child’s preference is not controlling, and the court must still decide custody and parent-time based on the child’s best interests.
Parent-time refers to the specific schedule for when each parent spends time with the child. Custody refers to legal rights and responsibilities, including decision-making authority and where the child’s primary residence may be established.
Common schedules may include week-on and week-off, 2-2-3, 3-3-4, 2-2-5, alternating weekends, midweek visits, and Utah minimum parent-time schedules. The right schedule depends on the child’s age, school routine, parental work schedules, distance between homes, and the child’s best interests.
Short trips and long-term moves can raise different legal issues, and the answer depends on your current custody order and the facts. If a parent wants to relocate 150 miles or more from the current residence, Utah law may require advance notice to the other parent.
Yes, custody or parent-time may be modified when the legal requirements are met. A parent generally must show a qualifying change in circumstances and that the requested modification would serve the child’s best interests.
Anderson & Rogers provides experienced legal guidance, clear communication, and personal attention for parents facing custody and parent-time disputes. Our attorneys help clients understand what to expect, prepare evidence, protect parental rights, and pursue the best result possible under the circumstances.