Syracuse Child Custody & Visitation Lawyer

Custody of the children of any couple is an extremely complicated matter. If the parties cannot agree on what is best for their own children, then one must seek the determination of custody in a Courtroom.

Attorney Diana G. Cunningham can help.  Her experience with custody and visitation matters is extensive, aiding her in more efficiently and effectively pursuing your case.

People commonly know that the Court’s standard for custody is what is in the “best interests” of the children, but do not realize how many factors go into that determination. Some of those factors, but surely not all of them, include:

• Who has been the primary caretaker of the child or children up to the point of litigation
• Religious upbringing
• Lifestyles of the parent
• The stability and safety of the home environment
• The fitness of the parent
• Criminal records of a parent
• Economic stability of a parent and a parent’s ability to provide the child or children with the most opportunities
• The nature of the relationship between each parent and the child or children
• The preference of the child depending on the child’s age
• Whether one parent has coached or coerced the children to choose them over the other parent
• Whether one parent has wrongly withheld the child or children from the other parent
• A myriad of other factors

An attorney will be assigned, called a Law Guardian, to represent the children during any litigation involving them.

Most people are aware of “joint” custody and “sole” custody, but are not clear on what each mean in the State of New York. In addition, those standards can be further broken down into “legal” custody which involves, in part, decision making issues and records of the children, and “physical” custody, which is where the child or children reside.

If you find yourself in a custody battle, remember to keep the children out of it. Bringing them in will hurt everyone involved, and the Court tends to judge that type of thing very harshly. The child or children’s Law Guardian will judge it harshly as well, which is not to your advantage, and certainly not good for the children.

• These are adult topics, not appropriate for children to have to deal with. They will already be going through enough of an upheaval, particularly if this is an original custody determination, and their parents have recently split up.   

Let us help you take swift action in your child custody and visitation matter.  Contact us to speak with Diana Cunningham as soon as possible. We offer a free half hour consultation so you can freely discuss your case with Ms. Cunningham. Flexible appointment times are also offered for your convenience and the convenience of your child. Your custody and visitation matter deserves immediate attention – contact us today!

Attorney Diana G. Cunningham confidently represents clients in a variety of family law, real estate and other legal matters in Syracuse, NY, the cities of Auburn, Oswego, Cortland Cayuga, the counties of Onondaga, Madison, Cayuga, Cortland, Oswego, and all of the surrounding areas.

Diana G. Cunningham
913 State Tower Building
109 South Warren Street
Syracuse, New York 13202
Phone: (315) 472-8655
Fax: (315) 472-5800
Email