Protecting Your Parental Rights While Centering Your Child’s Best Interests
At The Law Offices of Amanda Taylor, P.L.L.C., we handle custody (legal decision‑making) and parenting‑time disputes with a clear focus on your child’s well‑being. In Arizona, judges must decide legal decision‑making and parenting time under the “best‑interests” standard and make specific findings when a case is contested. Factors include each parent’s relationship with the child, the child’s adjustment to home and school, each parent’s mental and physical health, and—critically—whether there has been domestic violence or child abuse.
Safety Comes First When There is Domestic Violence or Substance Abuse
Arizona law bars joint legal decision‑making when the court finds significant domestic violence and presumes that awarding decision‑making to a perpetrator is contrary to a child’s best interests. The court must place safety of the child and victim as “of primary importance.” Separate provisions also create a rebuttable presumption against legal decision‑making for a parent who has abused alcohol or drugs or committed specified DUI or drug offenses within the past year.
Jurisdiction & Multi‑State Custody
When families have moved or more than one state is involved, Arizona applies the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), which governs which state’s court may hear custody matters and how orders are enforced. Arizona’s UCCJEA appears at A.R.S. § 25‑1001 et seq., with initial‑jurisdiction rules at A.R.S. § 25‑1031.
Special Protections for Military Families
If a primary residential parent receives deployment, activation, or mobilization orders moving them a substantial distance, Arizona generally postpones final custody modifications until ninety days after the deployment ends, and the court must expedite temporary orders and allow testimony by phone or video as needed.
We provide bilingual representation (English/Spanish) across Yuma County, crafting parenting plans that reduce conflict, promote stability, and comply with Title 25.