Jurisdiction:
Area of Law:
Marriage & Child Custody
Hope Law Firm in West Des Moines, Iowa, provides aggressive, cost-effective legal services to clients across the State of Iowa. Our family law group, which includes five attorneys and three paralegals, handles complex divorces, child custody disputes, modifications and contempts all across Iowa.
Free Legal Aid provides useful information about child custody. In addition to the video here, be sure you check out other resources.
Iowa parents are required to attend a court-approved course about how divorce affects children. Iowa law requires the court to order a child custody award that includes liberal visitation rights so as to assure that the child has a maximum opportunity for continuing, physical and emotional contact with both parents. Iowa courts encourage the parents to share in the rights and responsibilities of raising the child, unless it is likely that the child would come into harm's way. check to learn more.
Child Support and Visitation in Iowa
In Iowa, the court follows Iowa Code: Sections 598.21 and 598.22 as a basic layout of the rules for determining the amount of child support that is to be paid. The general principles that are considered when establishing the appropriate amount of support include the following: (1) the earning capacity of the parents; (2) any outstanding medical debt of either of the parents; (3) the number of dependents each parent has other than the child at issue; and, check to learn more.