Child Custody

Scottsdale Child Custody Attorney Fights to Win

Knowledgeable advocate stands up for your parental rights in Arizona

When the welfare and security of your children is on the line, you need a strong advocate fighting for their best interests. If you face the devastating prospect of losing precious time with your children or forfeiting other essential parental rights, you need an assertive Scottsdale child custody attorney to press your rights to raise your child in a healthy, thriving environment. Mark Cord draws on more than 40 years of experience handing sensitive and emotional custody cases. He knows what it takes to negotiate a workable parenting plan or to fight and win in court when a settlement is not possible.

Effective child custody representation when outcomes matter most

Mark Cord is dedicated to fighting for clients’ rights in all aspects of child custody and visitation including:

The outcome of a parenting time agreement can affect your day-to-day life as well as your long-term relationship with your child. Mark Cord takes decisive steps to protect your rights and promote your children’s welfare.

Brief overview of Arizona child custody law

In Arizona, there are two aspects to child custody:

  • Decision-making authority —Formerly called legal custody, this refers to the right to make decisions affecting your child’s health and welfare.
  • Parenting time — Formerly known as physical custody and visitation, parenting time refers to the schedule under which parents have access to their child, including the time the child spends at their respective residences. The term “visitation” now only refers to time with the child spent by someone other than a parent, such as a grandparent.

How decisions are made for your child’s education, religious formation, enrichment, special needs, and other aspects of life depend on the court’s award of decision-making authority. Generally, responsible and engaged parents share decision-making authority (formerly “joint legal custody”). But the court can award sole decision-making authority when that arrangement is in the child’s best interests.

Your parenting time is dictated by a parenting plan the court approves. Many couples are able to draft a parenting plan through negotiations or mediation that provides for roughly equal parenting time, including overnights, for each parent. The parents then present the proposed parenting plan to the court for approval. However, when parents cannot reach an agreement, they must litigate the matter before a judge. Litigation is especially important when one parent has legitimate concerns that contact with the other parent will be detrimental to the children.

Mark Cord is prepared to help you achieve the most appropriate custody arrangement for your circumstances through principled negotiation, mediation or aggressive litigation, even in high-conflict child custody cases.

Contact an established Scottsdale custody attorney today for a free consultation

Attorney Mark Cord represents clients throughout Scottsdale in child custody and legal decision-making, parenting time and visitation, custody modifications and enforcement orders. Call Mark at 480-994-0345 or contact his firm online to schedule a free initial consultation.