Ask A Family Law Attorney: Does A Hectic Work Schedule Affect Custody?
Custody hearings always provoke a collection of concerns and questions. One question we’ve been hearing lately involves hectic work schedules and a challenging work-life balance. Custody affairs are especially daunting for individuals who work a lot in order to support themselves and their loved ones, and the prospect of losing out on custody is heavy on their minds. So, does having a crazy work schedule jeopardize your chances of getting custody or visitation?
Your Work Schedule and Child Custody
To an extent, these fears are justifiable. Having a full schedule and dedicating most of your free time to your job, whether it is due to necessity or because you are working to further your career, can interfere with your custody battle and ability to be granted visitation. After all, the California courts will always prioritize arrangements that are in the best interest of the child.
This means that they look at things such as each parent’s ability to provide, the individual relationship that each parent has with the child, the stability of each home, the health and well-being of the child and each parent, and more. If a judge determines that your schedule gets in the way of your ability to meet your child’s emotional and physical needs, this could be problematic. Furthermore, in cases where joint custody or visitation is established, the potential for schedule conflicts also poses a problem.
What this boils down to is that a busy parent will be asked whether their work schedule will interfere with their parental duties in any way, shape, or form. The courts are not looking to penalize busy parents who have demanding careers, rather they simply want to ensure that the child’s needs are fully covered. So this becomes a matter of how effectively you can prove to the courts that your hectic work-life balance does not get in the way and can accommodate the needs of your child.
Talk to A Trusted Family Law Attorney
At the end of the day, your best is to trust in the advice of a seasoned family law attorney. When facing child custody issues, as well as any other matter relating to family law or divorce in California, do not hesitate to reach out to us directly at Rubin & Levavi, P.C. We offer free initial consultations.