Doing What’s Right By You And Your Children

Family law matters are often sensitive and difficult. Few issues are more difficult than those involving your children, where they will live and who will raise them. Child custody and visitation in Tennessee are part of your parenting plan, which is the legal document that describes where the child spends his or her time and the parental decision-making authority. If you have children, this plan will be the blueprint for much of your future.

I’m attorney Christine L. Dümmer, and I can help you develop a parenting plan that will work for your family and your specific situation. I will sit down with you, discuss your concerns and goals, and explain how parenting plans work and what goes into creating a successful plan. I am a certified child welfare law specialist, demonstrating my experience and focus on working with and protecting children.

The Best Interests Of Your Child

In family law, the guiding principle for issues that affect children is that they must be designed with the best interests of the child at heart. I can show you what this means in practice and how to work toward creating a parenting plan that is truly in the best interests of your child. I understand the importance of your children, and I can help you create the custody agreement, visitation schedules and parenting plan that demonstrates how your children come first.

A parenting plan will contain many parts, including:

• Parenting time or residential schedule
• Allocates decision-making authority
• Identifies primary residential parent and alternative residential parent
• Vacation, birthday, holiday and school breaks
• Child support

A Plan To Reduce Conflict Is No Accident

You may believe that you do not need a very detailed parenting plan and that you can make decisions as needed. This can be a recipe for conflict, especially for critical decisions or time-sensitive matters. A comprehensive, detailed parenting plan can help set expectations and provide the ground rules for your interaction with your child’s other parent. This can help to reduce conflict and tension and make for a smoother transition for your child’s new life.

If you cannot agree on a parenting plan, a court will apply a broad, multi-factor test to determine the custody plan. This is never ideal, as you are ceding this very important decision to a judge. If your child’s other parent is combative, I can help you in mediation and in the courtroom to obtain a plan that protects you and your child’s interests.

Contact Me For Help

Child custody and visitation issues are always complex. I can help you create the viable agreement you need. Schedule an initial consultation with me today by calling 865-409-1575. You can also use my online form to make an appointment.