Manassas Child Custody Lawyers

Sole and temporary custody in Virginia

In cases of sole custody, both legal custody and physical custody are awarded to one parent.  The parent with sole custody is the primary caretaker.  They have the right to make decisions about the day-to-day and long-term needs of the child, including education, religion, discipline, and medical care.

Additionally, the child lives full-time with the parent who maintains sole custody.  Child custody laws in Virginia favor neither the mother nor the father in custody cases.  There is no legal preference for sole mother custody or sole father custody.

Visitation rights

When sole custody is awarded, visitation rights can be granted to the non-custodial parent.  Visitation rights do not give the non-custodial parent the authority to make decisions that conflict with the custodial parent’s long-term wishes for the child, such as indoctrinating the child with a conflicting religion. In certain cases, grandparents, step-parents, and/or other guardians may also be granted visitation rights.

There has never before been a reported case of a court completely denying visitation to one of the child’s parents. Depending on the court’s assessment of the specific case at hand, the non-custodial parent may be allowed supervised visitation only, in which case the two parents must agree on a chaperon — generally a friend or relative—to accompany the non-custodial parent on all visits. It is common that a supervised visitation decision is also restricted to a particular schedule and location.

Temporary child custody in Virginia

In Manassas, temporary custody, also known as de facto custody, occurs when one parent maintains custody of a child for a finite period of time, usually until a final agreement has been reached.  Temporary custody is awarded based on what is considered to be in the best interest of the child.  If necessary, temporary custody can be reassessed during the time period until a long-term decision is made. 

The choice of a particular parent for temporary custody is not an initial ruling and has no legal effect on the final outcome of a custody case.  A parent may file individually for temporary custody at the start of the divorce or custody proceedings, or temporary custody can be established in the initial divorce petition. If you have questions about your rights, contact a Manassas child custody attorney at our firm.

Contact our Manassas child custody attorneys

Please contact The Daugherty Law Firm for help with your custody situation in Virginia.  Our highly qualified Manassas child custody lawyers are here to assist you. Contact us today online or call our office at 703-659-2437.

We offer reasonable fixed fee arrangements and accept major credit cards.