Georgia laws encourage fathers to be active parents who are involved in the lives of their children. Unfortunately, when it comes to child custody, it is usually the mother who seemingly has an inherent advantage with the court. In fact, an old adage that circulates around Georgia's family law circle is that one judge was known to say that he never saw a bull who was able to nurse a calf. This gender bias toward parental custody awards is outdated and it is time for fathers' rights to be more firmly established in Georgia's family courts. Legal practitioners can help fathers do just that.
Attorneys realize that custody should be in the best interest of the children and not solely based on gender. An experienced attorney can help fathers retain or regain their paternal rights and obtain physical or legal custody of their children. All too often, fathers are not satisfied with being weekend dads. A father does not need to accept seeing his children only on weekends. Opportunities for additional parenting time can be negotiated, even when a father does not have physical custody.
A father's visitation rights can include pick-up and drop-off at school, attendance at school activities, mid-week visits, school holidays and being the first option to provide child care when the mother is unavailable. If the father is not satisfied with the current visitation plan, he may seek a court order and change the parenting plan. However, it is better for parents to make a common agreement and then have the decision approved by the court. An astute attorney will be able to help a parent get a court order that is to his liking.
Child custody arrangements also may need to be modified because of changes in circumstances. An experienced professional will help a parent with these changes.