Denver Family Lawyer Encourages Open Communication about Parenting Rights

Denver, CO (Law Firm Newswire) May 16, 2011 – Denver family law attorney Bill Thode sees many parents that struggle with the division of parental rights and responsibilities during a divorce. Each spouse jockeys to get full custody of the child and becomes encompassed by this demand.

“What’s important to understand is that Colorado courts care about the best interests of the child, not necessarily the parent,” said Thode, who has spent more than a decade helping hundreds of clients with their family law and other matters. “Parenting rights are not awarded on a winner-takes-all approach.”

A recent book, Building a Parenting Agreement That Works, encourages parents to openly discuss what they would like to see for the division of parenting time and important decisions for the child. Divorce attorneys can assist with mediation and negotiations to allow parents to put the child first and maintain a fair child-parent relationship.

“When parents take parenting issues to court rather than resolving them on their own, they are shortchanging themselves,” says the book’s author Mimi Lyster Zemmelman. “Once these issues go to court, parents are forced to rely on a judge or court-appointed evaluator to understand the family’s situation and make good decisions – often after only meeting with the family for a few minutes or hours. It is very difficult for a judge to make the right decisions under these conditions.”

Parents who can sit down to discuss the big issues for their child should include decisions on health and dental care, mental health care, education, religion, and other major decisions. Colorado divorce law requires evaluation of how each parent has contributed to the child financially and time-wise. The parenting agreement will list the schedule for the child during the normal routine, holidays, summer vacations, and any particular family needs.

“The legal system wants each child to have a positive and nurturing relationship with their parent,” said Thode, who practices law at Denver’s premier family law firm, Thode Law P.C. “Parenting time also affects child support because child-support formulas take into account the number of overnights the child has with each parent.”

The Thode Law Firm P.C. helps parents achieve fair and appropriate parenting agreements. However, if settlement efforts fail, the Thode Law Firm has significant experience in contested proceedings.

To contact a Denver divorce lawyer, Denver child custody attorney, or family lawyer, visit http://www.thodelaw.com or call (303) 330-0425.

Thode Law Firm, P.C.
3773 Cherry Creek North Drive
Suite 575
Denver, CO 80209
Call: (303) 330-0425