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Parenting Time & Child Custody Telephone Mediation Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic

In the wake of the new coronavirus, everyone has essentially been ordered to stay at home at all times. Unfortunately, this leaves many divorced co-parents feeling confused as to how to proceed, their children’s safety being their primary concern. Generally, history has shown that simply ignoring child custody orders only results in having child custody reduced or otherwise negatively impacted. Therefore, we cannot advise anyone to simply ignore such orders. This is a constantly evolving aspect of family law, and there are not yet clear-cut regulations that address co-parenting in the midst of a pandemic. Because of this, we have seen many unique co-parenting issues crop up across the board. Some of these scenarios are as follows:

  • Parents being unable to agree on the amount of time they deserve with their children in their temporary COVID-19 custody agreement.
  • One parent having reservations about leaving their child in a home with an immuno-compromised person.
  • One parent expressing fear of leaving their child with the other parent who is a doctor/nurse/someone who may be regularly exposed to the virus.
  • One parent believing that the other parent is not taking the virus seriously and failing to practice the guidelines provided by the CDC and WHO.
  • One parent being fearful of contracting the virus by meeting with the other parent to exchange their children.
  • One parent disagreeing with the amount of make-up time they deserve if their child has stayed with the other parent for the duration of the pandemic.

Courtrooms across the state are now closed for all “non-essential” matters, such as divorce hearings and child custody modifications. Because of this, many firms, including ours, are now holding mediation sessions over the phone to help you and your spouse reach a legally-binding, temporary child custody agreement for the duration of the pandemic. The primary goal of these mediation sessions is to ensure that you, your former spouse, and, above all, your children, are safe. We know these are unprecedented times, which is why the Law Office of Sarina Gianna, LLC is ready to provide you and your family with the compassionate, knowledgeable, and effective mediation services you deserve and need. If you have any additional questions about the mediation process, please do not hesitate to give our New Jersey family law firm a call today.

Contact our experienced Ocean City firm

Matters of divorce and family law require the attention and skill of an experienced attorney who will fight for your future. Not only is your financial well-being at stake, but in a divorce, both you and your children’s emotional well-being are at risk as well. If you need a divorce and family law attorney in Ocean County, New Jersey, please do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Sarina Gianna, LLC today to schedule a consultation.