An uncontested divorce is when a couple agrees on matters such as division of property, spousal support, child support, and custody and visitation of children. But sometimes, the couple discovers they are unprepared for some of the intricacies involved in visitations. The licensed Legal Document Assistant (LDA) team from We Help You Legal has some tips to help couples work out a satisfactory visitation plan. We Help You Legal assists in completing legal documents for divorce from its Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo offices.
The following tips are not legal advice, but are simple suggestions to consider when preparing a visitation plan, also known as a parenting time plan, that is agreeable to the parents and the children. Courts are interested in children’s well-being, and a carefully thought-out visitation plan helps assure that well-being.
Some of the things to think about include:
- How far do children have to travel for visits? When parents live within a reasonable driving distance from one another, more frequent visits are feasible. For example, alternating weekends are much easier to manage for short travel times.
- What is the frequency of visits?
- How long should visits last? Is it feasible for weekend visits to start on Friday afternoons through Sunday evenings? Which parent gets the children for which holidays? How long can summer vacations last?
- Can the parents be flexible for the unplanned, such as an important family event, a once-in-a-lifetime vacation opportunity, or the visit needs to end early for a family emergency?
- What are the transportation arrangements? Do the parents alternate driving to pick up or return the children? Is a ridesharing service acceptable? Who pays for air travel? At what age are children allowed to fly alone?
- Are there scheduling conflicts between visitation and the children’s activities, such as after-school tutoring, athletics, or weekend activities? What are the proposals to resolve any conflicts?
- When writing out the plan, focus on the children’s needs rather than the adults’ convenience. Be willing to make adjustments as the plan takes shape.
Your final parenting time plan is submitted to the court as part of the marital settlement agreement (MSA) and is reviewed by the judge.
When it comes to all of the documents that are included in the MSA, even though an uncontested divorce can suddenly seem overwhelming. Making sure all of the documents are correct and filed on time can be intimidating. We Help You Legal LDAs can simplify the entire process by completing the legal forms for you, and you can file for divorce in the Paso Robles court, or any court in your county of residence, with fewer headaches.
An LDA is licensed by the State of California to assist with completing legal documents for a variety of matters. LDAs cannot give legal advice, but can offer non-legal tips and assistance to help make completing legal documents easier. We Help You Legal assists with legal documents for a variety of matters, including:
- Divorce.
- Adoptions.
- Custody matters.
- Guardianship/conservatorship.
- Name changes.
- Living trusts, amendments, codicils.
- Deeds.
- Healthcare directive and power of attorney.
- Landlord/tenant matters.
- And more.
With offices in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, assistance with divorce or any other legal documents is only a phone call away.
We Help You Legal is a “self-help” legal document assistance company that provides document preparation without the high cost of an attorney. We Help You Legal, Inc. is not a law firm. We cannot represent you in court, advise you about your legal rights or the law, or select forms for you.
