Foster Law Office

Contact Our Iowa City Office:

319-383-0405
Call 319-383-0405
In response to Covid-19 and to preserve the safety of yourself and my staff, we are handling all inquiries and appointments via telephone, videoconferencing and email. Please give our office a call and my staff would be happy to assist you.

Protecting Your Rights Throughout Eastern Iowa Since 1981

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Protecting Your Parental Rights

When parents divorce, a child custody arrangement must be agreed upon. When an unmarried couple separates, a child custody agreement must also be reached. Iowa courts prefer shared child custody, but there are two major exceptions:

  • If there is a history of domestic abuse
  • If neither parent promotes a good relationship with the other parent

Child custody determinations affect unmarried parents as well as married parents. Child support payments follow child custody determinations.

At Foster Law Office, our Iowa City child custody attorneys can walk you through the process and develop legal options for child custody and visitation. We are committed to protecting our clients’ parental rights and the best interests of their children.

Types Of Custody

There are two types of child custody — legal custody and physical custody. Legal custody is almost always shared and it is the decision-making power regarding religious upbringing and medical decisions. Physical custody is where the child lives and may be shared or there could be a primary parent.

It has been our experience that there is a difference toward how individual judges will make these determinations, if the decisions were not made during mediation. Most judges lean toward shared physical custody if the parents can cooperate. At our law office, we try to facilitate the parent relationship and urge parents to work to get along rather than fight. If a fight is called for, we will be vigorous advocates for your parenting rights.

If the court determines that primary physical custody would work best with one parent, the other parent is typically granted visitation every other weekend and one night per week and access to the children on rotating holidays.

A Trusted Ally For Child Custody And Visitation Matters

If you are seeking representation for a child custody matter in Iowa, our family law attorneys are here for you. To arrange your initial consultation, please call our Iowa City law offices at 319-383-0405 or contact us online.