If you and your spouse have a child together and you decide to get a divorce, the issues of child custody will be raised. Hopefully you and your spouse can agree to joint custody (should that be the right step for the both of you) so as to avoid a drawn-out and acrimonious debate over custody. In many divorce cases, joint custody is agreed upon early in the process. However, there are plenty of cases where that just isn’t possible.
When the spouses are fighting over sole custody, things can get very tense and very complicated. It is important for each spouse to have his or her own legal representative throughout the case.
After custody is settled though, there may be situations that require changes to the agreement. For example, major life events can dramatically alter how you and/or your spouse are able to care for your child. If you lose your job, you may not be able to financially support your spouse (if alimony or child support is involved) or your child. If you get a new job in a different state, this would obviously impact custody provisions, and an interstate custody agreement would have to be reached.
Getting married to someone new or suffering a medical emergency are two other scenarios that can arise after child custody is agreed to (and still ongoing at the time of the event), and thus require alterations to your child custody agreement. As is the case with most things involving divorce, you should consult with your attorney to ensure your situations is being handled properly.