Kanawha County Family Court

    WV 
    CHILD CUSTODY:
    Parenting Plans
    Enforcement
    Family Court
  
                      Kanawha County, West Virginia Family Court 

Saint Albans, West Virginia 25177
West Virginia Counties

                Charleston                

                Saint Albans                
              
                South Charleston                

                Spring Hill                

                Cross Lanes                

                Dunbar                

                Malden                

                Nitro                

                Sissonville                

                Clendenin                

                Upper Falls                

                Pinch                

                Alum Creek                

                Chesapeake                

                Marmet                

                Cabin Creek                

                Belle                

                Elkview                

                Tornado                

                Cedar Grove                

                East Bank                

                Jefferson                

                Glasgow                

                Chelyan                

                Hernshaw                

                Winifrede                

                Dawes                

                Shrewsbury                

                Eskdale                

                Big Chimney                

                Pratt                

                Gallagher                

                Miami                

                Mammoth                

                Hugheston                

                Hansford                

                Handley                

                Pond Gap                

                London                

                Blount                

        Welcome! Browse the West Virginia resources provided by the links below to find your county family court along with state level information about filing a child custody case, including where to get child custody forms and where to get help. 

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Where To File for Child Custody in Kanawha County, West VirginiaFamily Court Directory for All West Virginia Counties, including  Kanawha County http://www.courtswv.gov/public-resources
Kanawha County Child Custody Forms
            West Virginia Child Custody Forms Used in Kanawha County              
            
                            http://www.courtswv.gov/lower-
                      
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Get Help With West Virginia Child CustodyBefore you file legal papers, take some time to familiarize yourself with the resouces offered by your local court. Most courts now offer at least some materials and forms to help you understand and manage your child custody case. Even if you plan to work with a lawyer, it's smart to do some research before you turn things over. When you're ready to find a lawyer, the resources below can help you locate a child custody attorney near you.
West Virginia Self-Help Information for Child CustodyMore Info...
West Virginia Resources for Making a Parenting PlanMore Info...
Kanawha County Free or Low Cost Legal HelpLegal Aid of West Virginia
Kanawha County Child Custody Lawyers
Related Articles for Kanawha County West VirginiaHow to Get Custody of a Child
	How Courts Make Child Custody Decisions
How to Find a Child Custody Lawyer
How to Get Parenting Plan Help
          
How to Enforce a Child Custody Order
How to Claim a Child on Your Taxes
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Child Custody Find Your Family Court ▼

Get Help Finding a West Virginia Child Custody Lawyer
Get Help Finding a West Virginia Child Custody Lawyer
If you want to find a good child custody lawyer, consider starting with these sources:
- Family and friends. Ask people you know and trust whether they have hired a family lawyer in the past -- or if they know someone else who has. If you hear a name once, that could be a starting point. If you hear the same name many times, put that person on your list of lawyers to call.
- Other lawyers. If you know and respect a lawyer who works in another of the law -- for example a business or estate planning lawyer -- ask if they know a good family law attorney (or whether they’re willing to ask around on your behalf).
- Counselors or therapists. If you’re seeing a counselor or therapist -- especially a marriage counselor -- ask for lawyer recommendations.
- Professional associations. If you don't get any good personal referrals, turn to professional associations for family lawyers. Many good family lawyers belong to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). You can also contact the West Virginia State Bar for family lawyer referrals.
More Information for West Virginia Residents

To learn more, including:
- how to find free or low-cost legal assistance, and
- interview questions to ask a professional before you turn over your case
See How to Find a Child Custody Lawyer in West Virginia.

Consult With a West Virginia Child Custody Attorney

Serving Saint Albans, West Virginia.

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What Is Physical vs. Legal Custody of a Child?

What Is Physical vs. Legal Custody of a Child?

Every child custody decision has two essential parts:

Physical custody determines where the children will live.

Legal custody refers to the right to make other important decisions for the children—for example, religious upbringing, medical care, and choices about education.

For more details about the different types of child custody and how they fit together, see How Does Child Custody Work in West Virginia?

Consult With a West Virginia Child Custody Attorney

Serving Saint Albans, West Virginia.

Ads by Nolo/Martindale Attorney Network

Click Here to Connect With a Child Custody Lawyer serving Saint Albans, West Virginia
What Is Joint vs. Sole Custody of a Child?

What Is Joint vs. Sole Custody of a Child?

While the terms physical custody and legal custody refer to types of decisions affecting your children, “joint custody” and “sole custody” refer to who makes those choices on behalf of the kids.

Joint custody refers to a situation where both parents make decisions.

Sole custody means that just one parent has control.

Note that these two types of custody can be blended, and that joint custody doesn’t necessarily mean a 50/50 split.

For example, parents could be granted joint legal custody—giving them both a say in important decisions about their child’s education, religious training, medical treatment, and the like—while one parent gets sole physical custody, meaning that the child will live with him or her and most likely visit the other.

For more details about the different types of child custody and how they fit together, see How Does Child Custody Work in West Virginia?
What Is Split Custody?

What Is Split Custody?

Split custody means that each parent takes primary custody of different kids—think of the film “The Parent Trap,” where the parents separate the twin sisters as babies, raising one in California and one in Boston. Such arrangements are unlikely to lead to Hollywood endings and are usually disfavored, but there are rare situations in which split custody may make sense. For example, if the siblings aren’t close or if a particular child-parent relationship is unusually strained, an unconventional arrangement might be appropriate.

Before you ask for split custody, it’s wise to consult a counselor or custody evaluator—a therapist that specializes in softening the blow of divorce on children by evaluating the family situation and making recommendations. Your lawyer or your local court should be able to help you find a qualified custody evaluator in your area.
About This Website
About This Website
Here at Legal Consumer, we've been busy building websites to get people the legal answers and information they need. Our goal is to guide you to reliable, local information about your options.

We'll be adding new topics over time, but you can currently use our websites to find comprehensive information on:
- Child Custody (this website)
- Bankruptcy
- Unemployment Law
- Minimum Wage & Overtime Law
- Student Loans
- Obamacare (Health Insurance)
- Inheritance Law
On this website, when you choose your state or enter your zip code, you will quickly learn:
- how child custody works in your state
- how to find and use your local family law court
- how judges make custody decisions
- how to find a good child custody lawyer
- how to get help creating parenting plan
- how to enfoce a child custody or visitation order in your state
- and more.
We know that it's stressful to face difficult issues involving your family and we want to make it as easy as possible for you to find the answers you need.

Who We Are

Legal Consumer

Legal Consumer is a company that believes you should have access to quality information about the legal issues affecting your life. Whether you’re facing financial difficulties, family challenges, health concerns, or trouble at your job, we want to help you get the resources you need. Our websites are written by lawyers and designed to give you accurate, relevant information for your location.

Albin Renauer, Owner and Founder

Albin Renauer is an independent web and database developer and Webby Award judge. He first created LegalConsumer.com as an online companion to his book, How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, to help people file for bankruptcy.

After receiving his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1985, Albin worked for various public-interest law firms in the Bay Area and as a staff attorney for Chief Justice Rose Bird of the California Supreme Court. He spent 17 years as an editor at leading do-it-yourself legal publisher Nolo, where he helped create numerous books and software programs, including the bestselling Quicken WillMaker. He also edited Law on the Net, the first online directory of legal resources, and was the architect of Nolo's Webby Award winning website.

Shae Irving, Writer and Editor

Shae Irving has been a legal editor and writer since 1994, when she joined the editorial staff at Nolo, specializing in estate planning, health care, and family law issues. For almost a decade, she was the managing editor of Nolo’s bestselling Quicken WillMaker software. Her books include Living Wills and Powers of Attorney for California and Prenuptial Agreements: How to Write a Fair and Lasting Contract. Shae graduated from Berkeley Law and briefly practiced at a large San Francisco law firm before becoming an editor and author. She began working with Legal Consumer in 2013.