Your parenting plan needs to include a way for you and your co-parent to resolve disputes. If you haven’t agreed in advance to a methodology for conflict resolution, it could end up causing very big problems later on down the road. What kind of problems? Long, drawn-out and costly family law proceedings.
Even if you and your co-parent get along well right now, disagreements about how your child should be raised can still arise over time. To reduce the likelihood of stressful and expensive litigation, parents should consider adding structured conflict resolution terms to the plan, and a family law attorney in Arcadia can help draft those provisions carefully.
1. A method for resolving disputes out of court
When you sign a contract with a financial institution, it often contains an arbitration clause that requires disputes to be resolved outside of court. Parents may want to use a similar concept in a parenting plan to help avoid the expense and stress of family court litigation if a disagreement arises. To do this, the parents can agree to a clearly worded provision stating that they will use a licensed mediator or professional arbitrator to address future disputes, and working with a mediation attorney in Arcadia can make that process far more effective.
In addition to requiring the resolution of disputes through arbitration, the parents should indicate how they will pay for the arbitration process. Perhaps they will indicate that Parent A will pay for 30 percent of the proceedings and Parent B will pay for 70 percent of the proceedings. They should also indicate how to start the proceedings. Usually, one parent will notify the other parent via certified mail.
2. A method for updating the parenting plan
One way to avoid the chance of disagreement and difficulty is to create a parenting plan that’s sufficiently flexible, so that the parents can update it in response to changing conditions in their families. The parents may want to agree to meet once, twice or three times annually to discuss whether either of them wishes to make changes. They can also agree to provide one another with written notice to change the plan should an emergency issue arise.
Create a parenting that serves your and your children’s best interests
Creating a sound parenting plan is a delicate process that requires foresight and legal experience. A well-drafted plan usually works best when it clearly addresses communication methods, decision-making rules, and dispute resolution procedures before problems arise. With guidance from a knowledgeable child custody attorney in Arcadia, parents can prepare more confidently for future changes and potential disagreements.