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The Basics of Child Custody and Support

You are getting divorced from your spouse.  How will this affect your relationship with your kids?  Will you be able to visit?  If so, when?  Will you pay child support?  Can you get custody, or joint custody?  What does this all mean?

In the old days, Mom always got the kids and Dad took on a supporting role. Things are quite different now.  The courts now look at a variety of factors, including

  • Who is currently the primary caretaker for the children?
  • What ages are the children, and if they are old enough to make a decision, what are their preferences?
  • Does either parent have a drug or alcohol problem, or other health issue that would affect the care they can give?
  • Will the child be separated from siblings?
  • Does the parent’s work schedule allow them to devote time to the children?

Often the court will appoint an attorney for the children to better represent the best interests of the children.  Custody may be changed only in the event of a significant change in circumstances that affect the child’s interest.

Child support can easily add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars during your child’s life.  The follow questions come up in determining the support each parent is responsible for:

·         Will your child be able to stay in their current private school, or even in their public school, if your home is in a good school district but you don’t have the funds on your own to keep your family home?

  • Who will pay for college tuition?
  • What about extracurricular activities, vacations, orthodontia and other expensive medical bills, all of which one parent might question, even though these things were provided in the past?

The law says that your child is entitled to keep the same standard of living that he or she would have enjoyed, had the parents stayed together.  Your child needs for you to have good legal advice so that his interests are protected, as well as your own.

If you have any questions regarding child support and custody, please call us or contact us online.  We will be happy to meet you for a free initial consultation.

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Randy  S.  Margulis Attorney Photo
Randy S. Margulis
Member

As a Buffalo divorce lawyer for 28 years, I have devoted myself to solving the problems that affect families throughout the Buffalo metropolitan area and Western New York. As a family law attorney, I make it my goal to create a partnership of trust with my clients. People put their trust in me to handle cases that can potentially have a long-lasting impact on not only their lives, but the lives of their family as well.

Alexandra M. Rockwood Attorney Photo
Alexandra M. Rockwood
Senior Associate

Alexandra M. Rockwood is a Senior Associate Attorney with the Law Offices of Randy S. Margulis & Associates and has been with the firm since early 2020. She primarily practices in the areas of matrimonial and family law, including divorce, child custody, and child support. Alexandra is a practicing matrimonial and family law attorney as…

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    Divorce is always an unpleasant event and my case was no exception, yet the guidance, professionalism and ethical strategy that Randy Margulis provided was essential in finding the best solutions for my children, my ex-wife and myself. As the proces...

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    Divorce is always an unpleasant event and my case was no exception, yet the guidance, professionalism and ethical strategy that Randy Margulis provided was essential in finding the best solutions for my children, my ex-wife and myself. As the proces...

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