Photo of the legal professionals at Maddox & Gerock, P.C.

A Reputation For Being Strong Advocates
Striving To Achieve The Best Possible
Results For Our Clients

We Help Families Through Child Custody Issues

When dealing with child custody or visitation issues, people need both a caring and supportive atmosphere and a lawyer with proven legal ability and experience.

Our attorneys handle a wide range of child-related issues through negotiation and/or litigation, including:

  • Legal custody
  • Physical custody and visitation
  • Enforcement of existing orders and contempt of court proceedings
  • Supervised visitation
  • Modification of child custody and visitation
  • Relocation with children to another city, state or country
  • Child abduction and international child custody matters
  • Interstate jurisdictional issues involving the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act (PKPA), Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, international jurisdictional issues and International Child Abduction Remedies Act (ICARA)
  • Grandparent and third-party rights in regard to custody or visitation

Custody determination are always based on what is in the best interests of a child. In determining the best interests of a child, the Court considers numerous factors to include:

  • The age and physical and mental condition of the child, giving due consideration to the child’s changing developmental needs;
  • The age and physical and mental condition of each parent;
  • The relationship existing between each parent and each child, giving due consideration to the positive involvement with the child’s life, the ability to accurately assess and meet the emotional, intellectual and physical needs of the child;
  • The needs of the child, giving due consideration to other important relationships of the child, including but not limited to siblings, peers and extended family members;
  • The role that each parent has played and will play in the future, in the upbringing and care of the child;
  • The propensity of each parent to actively support the child’s contact and relationship with the other parent, including whether a parent has unreasonably denied the other parent access to or visitation with the child;
  • The relative willingness and demonstrated ability of each parent to maintain a close and continuing relationship with the child, and the ability of each parent to cooperate in and resolve disputes regarding matters affecting the child;
  • The reasonable preference of the child, if the court deems the child to be of reasonable intelligence, understanding, age and experience to express such a preference;
  • Any history of family abuse as that term is defined in § 16.1-228 or sexual abuse. If the court finds such a history, the court may disregard the factors in subdivision 6; and
  • Such other factors as the court deems necessary and proper to the determination. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title20/chapter6.1/section20-124.3/

Learn More About Your Rights

To learn how Virginia law applies to your specific situation, arrange a consultation about third-party rights or grandparent rights today. You can either call our Falls Church office at 703-883-8035 or contact us via email.