If you are a working parent, you know full well how stretched to the limit you are juggling work and family life if you live in Seattle or Washington State.
Now imagine you are heading into a divorce and you discover that your career has put you at a disadvantage in a child custody dispute. Many working parents are shocked when they learn that their part-time working spouse or stay-at-home spouse has a leg up in a child custody fight under current custody laws. And on top of that, has it occurred to you that you may well pay child support? It’s a lot to consider.
This happens because many states are trying to be gender-neutral and courts must now consider the stay-at-home parent (and that means fathers, too) as the primary caregiver.
In our current economy, this is becoming more common as fathers are laid off and mothers become the primary breadwinners. If you find yourself in this situation, and you are considering divorce, you need to seek legal advice long before you notify your spouse. The sooner you contact a custody lawyer, the sooner she can help you protect your child custody rights and build a strategy that gets you the child custody arrangement that is best for you and your child.