Does a Mother have more rights than a Father in Jacksonville, Florida?

We often hear a client say...

• "I just know that as a father, I won't win anything"
• "The law always favors the mother over the father"
• "I've always done everything as the mother; he wouldn't know how to do anything"

Did you know that...

In the State of Florida the law is gender neutral. This means that the court makes a decision about what's best for a child regardless of whether or not the parent who is requesting parenting time or primary care is a man or a woman. The court is not to consider whether one parent is female or male.

Why do I see advertising for 'Father's Rights'?

I've often heard advertising from lawyers stating that they are a father's rights law firm and I have to chuckle when I hear that because obviously that advertisement is meant to place fear into the heart of a father who's seeking parental rights. A father should know, just like a mother should know, that when a judge decides parenting time and custody, a judge is doing that regardless of whether you are a man or a woman. That means that the judge is colorblind and is not going to prefer a man or a woman, and a father or a mother should not have preference in a custody case.

A Child's Best Interests

A court has to carefully consider the child's best interest. The court is going to look at what kind of pattern of parenting time has taken place between the parties, how are the children or the child bonded with each parent. And this is another serious, thoughtful consideration that you should be making when you are involved in one of these cases, so that you can come up with a strategy that you know a judge is going to be looking at in deciding your child custody case.

Be sure that you have hired an experienced Florida Family Law Attorney to represent your rights and the rights of your child(ren).