2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, but it has been particularly challenging for divorced parents trying to navigate the complexities of custody arrangements.

In this episode of Protect What's Yours, Family Law attorneys Matt Marcelino and Jovanna Mastro discuss some of the main concerns parents have regarding custody during COVID-19. 

According to Matt and Jovanna, one of the main concerns for parents is keeping their child from being exposed to COVID-19, particularly when they are with the other parent. With this in mind, communication is key to successfully managing court-ordered custody arrangements. While parents still need to follow custody orders, if they are concerned about who their child might potentially come in contact with, they need to talk to the other parent.

In this episode, Matt and Jovanna highlight how COVID-19 is forcing more interaction between divorced parents. Virtual schooling has removed the option for parents to use the school drop-off and pick-up as the official exchange point. Parents need to adapt the way they co-parent by taking into account their child's needs and creating a new plan for how they will adhere to any court orders in place.

⚖️ Featured Attorney ⚖️

Name: Matt Marcellino

What he does: As a Partner at Marcellino & Tyson, PLLC, Matt carefully guides his clients through the often-frustrating legal process. He has learned that honesty and respect are vital to your representation but also recognizes that some cases, possibly yours, may need an aggressive approach.

Words of wisdom: "If you're not able to care for yourself, and the child shouldn't be in your house — that's a no brainer."

Connect: LinkedIn

⚖️ Featured Attorney ⚖️

Name: Jovanna Mastro

What she does: As an Associate Attorney at Marcellino & Tyson, PLLC, Jovanna understands there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to divorce and custody, and she values the importance of conflict resolution.

Words of wisdom: "If you haven't figured it out by now, communication is key to dealing with [COVID-19] because it is unprecedented. And these court orders don't take into consideration a global pandemic."

Connect: LinkedIn

🗝️ Key Points 🗝️

Top takeaways from this episode of Protect What's Yours  

➔   Communication is key to successful co-parenting. The last thing some parents want to do is deal with their ex-partner, but COVID-19 has other plans. To keep your kids safe and happy, you need to open the lines of communication and talk about how you will manage court-ordered custody arrangements during the pandemic.

➔   You still need a valid reason or an emergency to withhold custody. Simply fearing your child might be exposed to COVID-19 if they go to the other parent's house is not a valid reason for withholding custody. Unless the court order says otherwise, you still need to follow to the best of your ability, and that includes exchange times.

➔   The world might have changed, but the law has not. To make any changes to your custody arrangement because of COVID-19, parents will still need to prove that there has been a substantial change and it's in the best interest of the child to...