As life changes, existing child custody orders may no longer fit your needs or circumstances. When this occurs, seeking a child custody modification in Colorado can be necessary to officially change court orders related to parenting time and/or decision-making responsibilities. This change can be central to protecting what matters most: the well-being of your children, as well as your time and relationship with them.
You should understand that achieving a modification that fits your expectations is not an easy process when you are going through it for the first time. Our child custody modification lawyers at The Cossitt Law Firm are ready to meet with you, discuss your needs, and explain how you can protect your interests as you move forward with an attempt at a child custody modification in Colorado. Contact us as soon as possible to learn more about how we can help you.
Meanwhile, please explore the following for helpful information about how to win a custody modification case with our help.
Submitting a petition to modify custody orders can be necessary if or when either parent:
It’s important to note that other grounds may exist for seeking child custody modification in Colorado, as spelled out in Colorado statute § 14-10-129. The petition to modify custody may pertain to parenting time and/or decision-making responsibilities, depending on the circumstances.
Additionally, we must note that child custody modification in Colorado is possible only when court orders regarding parenting time and decision-making responsibilities already are in place. In other words, if you have not yet established a child custody order, there’s nothing to modify.
The child custody modification forms that our team can help you complete and file with the court when seeking to modify a custody agreement in CO will vary, according to whether . . .
The team at The Cossitt Law Firm can provide you with full insight regarding the forms and other requirements necessary for your modification request, based on your situation, needs, and goals. For a discussion of your situation regarding child custody modification, contact us today.
The primary reason to modify child custody occurs when the original order is no longer in the best interests of the child, as defined in Colorado statute § 14-10-124. If spending time with one parent could cause danger for the child’s physical or mental health, because the parent suddenly is drinking alcohol excessively or is associating with people who are performing illegal activities, this almost certainly would justify an immediate modification to the custody agreement in the opinion of the court.
Additionally, when the child reaches a certain age, it is possible that the court will allow the child to express opinions about parenting time and child custody, which is a common reason to modify the orders. Typically, a child initially will receive this opportunity between ages 13 and 16. For example, the court may interview a 13- or 14-year-old who expressed interest in having a say in the child custody situation. The court will attempt to determine in the interview whether the child is mature enough to make this choice or whether the child should wait another year or two to have involvement. If and when the court decides to agree with the child’s wishes about resetting the custody situation, the court may modify the custody order based on its decision.
Other reasons to modify child custody may occur if both parents agree that the current orders simply are not working. Perhaps one parent feels as if caring for the children is too difficult to do safely because of a drastic change in working hours, and this parent wants to allow the other parent to receive the majority of the custody time. Our lawyers for child custody modification in Colorado can help you determine whether your case fits the requirements for how to modify a custody agreement in CO.
Whether child support responsibilities will change when child custody modification in Colorado occurs largely depends on whether the modification will substantially change the division of parenting time. For instance, if the modification will shift parenting time from a 50-50 split to a 75-25 split, child support payments may change to reflect this new situation.
Our child custody modification lawyers can provide more specific answers regarding whether you have grounds for child custody modification that should involve a change to child support awards.
In general, Colorado modification requests that will change with whom a child primarily lives can only occur every two years. One primary exception to this would be when the present arrangement presents a threat to a child’s physical or psychological well-being or development. We can help you determine whether your situation presents an exception to the two-year limitation in our presentation of the facts to the court.
At The Cossitt Law Firm, our child custody attorneys are committed to vigorously advocating for our clients’ rights as we help them achieve their long-term goals. We are ready to partner with you, devise custom and practical solutions to fit your needs, and help you resolve your child custody issues as favorably as possible.
Ultimately, it can be very hard to modify a child custody order in Colorado. Judges are not going to change the order simply because one parent suddenly decides the original order is inconvenient. The court is going to want to see evidence that any change is truly necessary to protect the child, especially if a significant modification request is occurring within the two-year mark.
Because of the difficulty of modifying child custody, having our child custody modification lawyers representing you in the hearing can be a benefit. We know how to collect the facts that show why the modification is necessary and important to the well-being of the children. Having our experience on your side in a situation is beneficial in drafting the modification request, as we know what types of requests worked for us in the past, and we can apply that knowledge to your case.
If you are preparing to modify child custody orders, or if you need help resolving any custody issue, contact The Cossitt Law Firm to find out more about your rights and options. We will do everything possible when seeking to win a custody modification case for you. Contact or email our firm today to set up a no-obligation consultation with us. We provide consultations via phone and Skype for those who cannot visit our offices for this meeting.
Colorado offers a method for immediate relief when a child is at imminent risk of physical or emotional harm by a parent. The court can act immediately to suspend all unsupervised with the parent allegedly putting the child at risk and place them under emergency child custody with a legal guardian.
As life changes, child custody orders may no longer fit your needs or circumstances. When this occurs, seeking a child custody modification can be necessary to officially change court orders related to parenting time and/or decision-making responsibilities.
Formerly known as child visitation, Parenting Time outlines the schedule and conditions under which each parent may see their children
