Family Law Services in Bowling Green, KY

The first step to getting a divorce in Kentucky is to speak with an experienced, solution-focused lawyer. They'll help you develop the right plan for getting all the necessary documents prepared & filed, from the Petition to the Financial Disclosures to the Motion to Submit & eventually, to the Decree of Dissolution of Marriage. They'll help you know what paperwork may be necessary *after* the divorce, too.

Along they way, they'll also help you determine whether all of the important decisions that need to be made - - about your children (if any), your assets & debts, and the need for spousal or child support - - can be made based on compromise with your spouse or if they have to be made by a judge following a hearing.

The key is, it's not just about having the right papers or checking off a list of decisions made. It's about getting the right outcome, the best fit possible, for your family unit moving forward. Having an attorney's advice in reaching that result is uniquely valuable.

When someone asks me about finding a good Kentucky family law attorney, I emphasize it's mostly about finding the right FIT for your objectives and your personality.

There are plenty of family law attorneys in South Central Kentucky who can help with divorce, custody, adoption, EPO/DVO, etc. Finding the one who is best suited for YOUR case and YOUR situation means looking for one:

who sees things the same way you do in terms of the importance of collaboration between you & your spouse/co-parent when it comes to making decisions about your finances & your children;

who focuses on client service and shows flexibility to your needs;

who takes the lead on your case without passing it mostly off to an associate or a paralegal; and

who focuses on solutions & results for your family, rather than how much they can bill your file.

Read reviews. Ask around. And meet with them in person to get their take on things.

With this approach, you'll have a good shot at finding the right fit.

In Kentucky, both custody (decision-making authority) and co-parenting time (who the child is with at a given time) can be modified, either by agreement or through a Court hearing after a motion is filed.

By statute, a modification of custody cannot be sought until two years have passed since the custody judgment, unless there is a serious concern about the children being at risk of endangerment.

For either custody or co-parenting time, the party seeking a Court-ordered change must prove the change serves the best interest of the child. Agreements between parents to modify timesharing are generally approved by Courts without requirement of a hearing.

If 'going to court' means asking the Judge to make a ruling on an important issue, then usually the biggest risk in that is getting a ruling you don't like.

And, often, what comes with that is the cost of money/time invested in preparing for a hearing that proved less than successful.

Even if you believe you have a strong position backed by good evidence, having a Judge make decisions on important issues like custody, parenting time, property division, support, etc., means giving up control of the outcome of the decision. Judges listen to both sides equally and apply a neutral approach, which may mean the judge finds the opposing parties' position more persuasive than yours.

The best way to reduce that risk? Make sure that spouses/parents explore every opportunity to make the decisions themselves about the most important things to them: their children, their homes, their retirement, etc.

It usually leads to more positive (and more affordable) results for the family unit.