Key Takeaways Colorado ties parenting time to the best interests of the child standard, not to a fixed-age formula. For infants and toddlers, parenting plans may include shorter but more frequent contact depending on developmental needs and routines. Families with multiple residences or significant travel demands may need more detailed parenting-plan provisions, not a…
Key Takeaways Colorado law treats grandparent visitation and grandparent custody as separate legal paths, each carrying a distinct standard. Common grounds include parental unfitness, abandonment, incarceration, a parent’s death, or established physical care of 182 days. A grandparent with 182 days of physical care of a grandchild may file within 182 days after that…
Key Takeaways For cases involving the allocation of parental responsibilities, Colorado statute has established the roles of a Child and Family Investigator (CFI) and a Child Legal Representative (CLR). Courts may now appoint a CFI or a CLR in custody cases rather than a Guardian ad Litem, depending on details of the case. A…
Key Takeaways Written notice and court approval are required before relocating if there is a custody order in place and one parent does not support the relocation. Relocation disputes often involve modification of parenting time and decision-making authority. Colorado courts focus on the child’s best interests when evaluating relocation requests. Judges closely examine stability,…
Key Takeaways Colorado courts look at whether each parent is genuinely fostering the child’s relationship with the other parent. Repeated interference, hostility, or parenting order violations can lead to modification of parenting time or decision-making authority. Courts weigh concrete evidence, including communication records, missed exchanges, and adherence to the parenting plan. Withholding information, speaking…
Concerns about a child’s safety can force a parent to act quickly. In an effort to protect a child, normal legal processes may not suffice when a child may be in danger. An emergency custody order in Colorado exists for the limited situations where serious risk is too urgent to wait for the standard…
False allegations can quickly alter the course of a Denver child custody case, forcing a parent into a defensive position before the court reviews the facts. Parents researching how to fight false allegations in child custody cases need a focused response grounded in Colorado law. A strong approach starts with immediate legal guidance, careful…
Many Denver parents in the midst of a divorce have myriad questions about child custody, including, “What is the right of first refusal?” When creating or updating a parenting plan, understanding the answer to this question is crucial. The concept requires a parent who cannot be with their child during scheduled parenting time to…
Changing a family dynamic is incredibly challenging – for both children and their parents. However, there are circumstances when families must evolve, including times when parents divorce or separate. The need to sort out separate living arrangements will arise regardless of whether the parents were ever married to each other or not. Shifting the…
According to Denver divorce attorneys, it seems like equally shared physical child custody arrangements are the preferred solution for many Colorado parents these days. In the 50-50 child custody solution, the children have two homes and divide their time living between both parents’ residences, and many experts on child psychology believe that this is…
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Equity Partner Kathleen Ann Hogan, who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a Family Law Attorney in Colorado.