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Our attorneys are based in Downtown Oklahoma City, and typically serve clients in surrounding areas, including Logan, Cleveland, McLain, Canadian and Oklahoma Counties.
Oklahoma Child Custody Laws - Legal & Physical Custody
Child custody laws in Oklahoma distinguish between legal and physical custody of a child. Legal custody refers to the responsibility to make major life decisions for a child, and physical custody refers to the time the child will spend with each parent.
The court will typically make provision for legal and physical custody both on a temporary and permanent basis. Temporary custody is generally addressed at the time of the hearing on temporary orders in which the parties ask the court to set the ground rules which will govern the parties’ relationship until the divorce can be finalized.
When determining the type of custody arrangement that is in a child's best interests, courts look at many factors, such as:
- Which parent has been the child's primary caretaker
- The quality of each parent's home environment
- The parenting skills of each parent, their strengths and weaknesses, and their ability to provide for the child's special needs, if any
- The mental and physical health of the parents, including whether either parent drinks alcohol or uses drugs
- Whether there has been domestic violence in the family
- The work schedules and child care plans of each parent
- The child's relationships with siblings, and members of the rest of the family
- If the child is old enough, which parent the child wants to live with
- Each parent's ability to cooperate with the other parent and to encourage a relationship with the other parent, when it is safe to do so
An experienced Oklahoma child custody lawyer from Mullins, Mullins, Sexton & Reaves, P.C. can help divorcing parents achieve fair and beneficial child custody arrangements, often through processes of mediation or in settlement negotiations, which avoids the stress and uncertainty of trial. However, should litigation become necessary to protect our clients' rights, we will advocate strongly for our clients’ best interest in court.
Oklahoma Child Custody Law - Sole & Joint Custody
Both legal and physical custody may be sole or joint. In joint legal custody, the parents make major decisions about the child together, such as decisions regarding education, health, and religion, while the day-to-day decisions are made by the parent who is physically caring for the child at the time. In sole legal custody, only one parent has the right to make major decisions about the child.
In joint custody arrangements, disagreements between the parties can be resolved in a number of ways, including allowing one parent to have the right to make the final decision, requiring mediation or arbitration or using a parenting coordinator to help resolve disputes.
Child Custody in Oklahoma - Visitation/Physical Custody
If one parent is awarded sole physical custody, the other parent is almost always given visitation access to the child, which allows for "frequent and meaningful" parenting time with the child. Under Oklahoma child custody laws, visitation may be unsupervised, supervised, or therapeutically supervised. Physical custody can range from minimal supervised visits to an equal 50/50 split of physical custody. It is often informative to review the advisory guidelines that are created by the State of Oklahoma.
An Oklahoma child custody lawyer from our firm can also help clients enforce a custody or visitation order or modify a custody or visitation order if there is a significant change of circumstances that affects the child's best interests. Please see our modification and enforcement page for more information about changing a custody or visitation order.
Contact an Experienced Oklahoma Child Custody Attorney
If you are facing divorce and have children, you need a competent and confident Oklahoma child custody attorney to help you secure a custody arrangement in the best interest of your child or children. Please contact Mullins Mullins Sexton & Reaves, P.C. at 405-235-2335 or by email for sophisticated, experienced family law counsel.
Child Custody & Visitation
Answering questions about
Oklahoma Child Custody and Visitation
The Oklahoma child custody attorneys at Mullins Mullins Sexton & Reaves, P.C., all of whom have children of their own, understand the sensitive nature of child custody and the importance of visitation and parenting time. The legal team provides advice and counsel with regard to child custody matters, understanding child custody is often one of the most difficult issues to resolve during a divorce or separation.
Mullins Mullins Sexton & Reaves
6307 Waterford Boulevard, Suite 215 Oklahoma City, OK, United States
(405) 235-2335