Nashville Visitation Lawyers

After the issues related to child custody are established, each parent’s visitation rights must also be decided. In Tennessee, a child’s parents may create a visitation plan with or without a lawyer and must receive court approval for it.

Our Nashville visitation rights lawyers at The Law Office of Martin Sir & Associates highly encourage individuals to seek out legal representation for this matter, as you will want to have an advocate on your side to help ensure that the agreements are fair and in your best interests (and the best interests of your child).

Visitation plans will be largely shaped by the type of custody secured. For example, in a sole physical custody situation, where only one parent has the right to have the child the majority of the time, the other parent must seek their rights to visitation. If one parent has sole legal custody, the other parent may or may not be granted visitation rights. The most common situation in Tennessee is joint legal custody, which typically grants each parent equal amounts of time with the child.

As you create the visitation agreement (or schedule), you should include the following:

• A residential schedule: This outlines which parent’s home the child will reside in and when. For example, if the parents have joint custody, the residential schedue states when the child will spend time with each parent.
• A holiday schedule: The holiday schedule states a plan for where the child will spend holidays and other special events such as birthdays or three-day weekends.
• A vacation schedule: This schedule outlines when and how a child may spend extended vacation time with each parent.

When considering whether to approve the agreement, a judge will consider the following factors (and more):

• Each parent’s fitness to raise the child with stability and love
• Each parent’s employment schedule
• Each parent’s ability to provide the child’s physical needs
• Which parent has been the primary caregiver thus far
• The safety and environment of each parent’s home, including an investigation into evidence of abuse