Obtaining Visitation Rights

Drafting an agreement.  When both parties determine that they agree on visitation rights and scheduling then they can elect to draft an agreement together.  When putting these terms in writing one of the first items you should consider is the amount of flexibility you want to include, for example when one or both parties have fluctuating work schedules you may want to include this in the agreement.  However it is important to spell out as many details as possible.  Below are a few items you may wish to include:

1. School vacations and holidays (how they are divided between parents)
2. Where and when pick-up and drop-off is to occur, it is a good idea to spell out dates and times whenever possible.
3. If and when scheduling conflicts arise, what is considered reasonable notice for a scheduling change.

Petitioning the court for visitation rights.  If the parties are unable to agree on visitation rights and/or a visitation schedule you may need to petition the court for these rights to be granted.  The first thing you will need to do is secure counsel, an attorney with experience in these matters will enable you to navigate through these complicated matters and should help you avoid making errors on critical matters.  It is very important to gather as much relative material and data as possible.  This information will be used by your attorney to help evaluate the situation.  After reviewing this data the attorney can decide the best course of action.

See Also:

Cost of Visitation

How to Avoid Parental Abduction