Where an Experienced Lawyer Is Crucial
Experienced counsel can be helpful in any area of law, but in a child custody case it can be especially helpful. At Gray, Stefani & Mitvalsky, we have experience in representing clients in child custody and child support issues in Cedar Rapids and other Iowa courts.
A child custody case may be a part of a divorce or a paternity action involving parents who were never married. It can also arise in cases of domestic violence and child welfare cases when there is a safety and protection concern involving a child. While our lawyers have the capability of handling child custody cases anywhere in Iowa, most of our clients live in Cedar Rapids and other communities in the eastern part of the state.
Understanding the Legal Terms and the Issues
Many people have heard terms such as legal custody, sole custody, physical care, and joint or shared physical care. However, few people understand what these terms mean in Iowa law.
The terms "custody" and "physical care" are often used interchangeably. However, child custody has more to do with the rights of parents to participate in major decisions concerning the child and to access to the child's records and information. Physical care is where the child will live.
Issues in a child custody case include the creation of a parenting plan that spells out parental rights and obligations regarding visitation or alternate care, child support, medical support, life insurance, income tax dependency deductions and special needs planning. Subsidies for post-high school education arise in a divorce child custody case, but not in a paternity case where the parents were never married.
The attorneys at Gray, Stefani & Mitvalsky can be reached at 319-364-1535 or by filling out the contact form on this site.
Attorney Richard Mitvalsky regularly teaches classes in family law to other lawyers through the Iowa State Bar Association and other organizations. He is a member of the Children Iowa Advisory Board, the Iowa Court Improvement Project - Child Welfare Stakeholder’s Panel, the Iowa Supreme Court Advisory Committee – Rules of Juvenile Procedure and the Iowa Court Improvement Child Welfare Due Process Task Force.
