Child custody is the most important part of any divorce in Salt Lake City, Utah. As Divorce Lawyers in Salt Lake City, we know that if you have children and are facing a divorce that the stress surrounding your children and a parenting plan can seem overbearing. At Arnold, Wadsworth & Coggins Attorneys, we have the experience needed in child custody situations to help you through your divorce to make sure that you understand the law and the possible outcomes concerning your divorce and child custody situation.
What does a court consider in Salt Lake City when it comes to a child custody situation in a divorce? Below I have quoted a case in order to give you feel for what a judge may look at when deciding your child custody situation in your divorce;
“In a controversy over custody, the paramount consideration is the best interest of the child, but where one party to the controversy is a nonparent, there is a presumption in favor of the natural parent. Walton v. Coffman, 110 Utah 1, 169 P.2d 97 (1946).2 This presumption recognizes “the natural right and authority of the parent to the child’s custody ….” State in re Jennings, 20 Utah 2d 50, 52, 432 P.2d 879, 880 (1967). It is rooted in the common experience of mankind, which teaches that parent and child normally share a strong attachment or bond for each other, that a natural parent will normally sacrifice personal interest and welfare for the child’s benefit, and that a natural parent is normally more sympathetic and understanding and better able to win the confidence and love of the child than anyone else. Walton v. Coffman, 110 Utah at 13, 169 P.2d at 103.” Hutchison v. Hutchison, 649 P.2d 38, 40 (Utah 1982) disapproved of by Watkins v. Nelson, 163 N.J. 235, 748 A.2d 558 (2000)
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Arnold, Wadsworth & Coggins Attorneys is a premier Utah law firm serving the Wasatch Front in the areas of family law, bankruptcy, criminal law, and civil litigation. Our attorneys provide clients with exceptional legal representation and personal attention. With over 35 years of trial practice and litigation experience, we bring big firm expertise at affordable rates