Family Law, Divorce and Domestic Issues- The UCCJEA
Posted on Apr 21, 2014 8:53am PDT
When parents live in different states determining the proper state to decide
child custody disputes can be complex.
We live in a mobile society. People move around, often between states.
People move for many different reasons and naturally, if a person has
a child, the child will move with them. If there is no court order dealing
with the custody of a child, a parent in a dispute with the other parent
might move with the child to another state without telling the other parent,
seemingly without consequence.
It is because of these facts that the
Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) has been adopted in the United States by 49 States, South Carolina
being one. The purpose of this legislation is to aid family court attorneys
and judges in dealing with child custody issues and disputes in the proper
State or jurisdiction. When there is no existing court order, and a parent
files an action to address the issue of custody, the family court will
decide to hear the case in the "home state" of the child. The
home state is the state where the child lived for 6 months prior to the
filing of the case.
The team of domestic attorneys at Finkel Law Firm LLC can guide you through
the analysis of a UCCJEA case and advise you on how to proceed through
the Family Court of South Carolina. If you are dealing with a multi-state
custody, visitation, or child support issue, please
contact us to schedule a consultation.