Child Custody Attorney St. Augustine, FL

Child Custody & Timesharing in Florida

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Nothing in family law carries higher stakes than a custody battle. The outcome determines how much time you spend with your children, who makes decisions about their education, healthcare, and upbringing, and what their daily lives look like for years to come. This is not a matter you entrust to a firm that hands your case to a paralegal. This is a matter that demands an aggressive, trial-tested attorney who treats your parental rights with the urgency and gravity they deserve.

Christine Leonard, Esq. has fought — and won — some of the most bitterly contested custody cases in Northeast Florida. She understands that Florida courts no longer use the term "custody" in most contexts. Instead, Florida law focuses on timesharing — the schedule that determines how parenting time is divided — and parental responsibility — the authority to make major decisions about your child's life. Christine ensures that both work in your favor.

The Best Interests of the Child Standard

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Under Florida Statute 61.13, all custody and timesharing decisions are governed by the "best interests of the child" standard. The court evaluates more than 20 factors to determine what arrangement best serves the child, including:

Parental capacity. Each parent's ability to provide a stable, consistent, and nurturing environment. The court examines housing, employment, mental health, and the overall home environment.

Existing relationships. The quality of the child's relationship with each parent, siblings, and other significant people in the child's life. Courts are reluctant to disrupt stable, positive relationships.

Willingness to co-parent. Each parent's willingness to encourage and support a close, continuing relationship between the child and the other parent. Courts take a dim view of parents who attempt to alienate, undermine, or interfere with the other parent's relationship.

Domestic violence and substance abuse. Any evidence of domestic violence, child abuse, neglect, or substance abuse is heavily weighted. These factors can result in supervised visitation, restricted timesharing, or the denial of shared parental responsibility.

The child's preference. If the child is of sufficient age and maturity, the court may consider the child's stated preference — though it is never the sole determining factor.

Christine Leonard knows how to present evidence that aligns with these factors and positions you as the parent best equipped to serve your child's interests. She builds your case with meticulous documentation, expert witnesses when necessary, and the aggressive courtroom advocacy that wins.

Parenting Plans: The Foundation of Every Custody Case

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Florida law requires a parenting plan in every case involving minor children. The parenting plan is a detailed legal document that spells out exactly how parenting time and responsibilities are divided. A strong parenting plan includes:

A detailed timesharing schedule covering regular weekly schedules, holidays, school breaks, summer vacations, birthdays, and special occasions. Provisions for communication between the child and each parent during the other parent's timesharing. Decision-making authority for education, healthcare, religious upbringing, and extracurricular activities. Methods for resolving disputes between parents without returning to court.

A poorly drafted parenting plan creates ambiguity, invites conflict, and forces you back into court. Christine Leonard drafts parenting plans that are comprehensive, enforceable, and designed to protect your rights for years to come.

Custody Modifications

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Life changes. Children grow. Circumstances shift. When a substantial, material, and unanticipated change in circumstances occurs after the entry of a custody order, you may petition the court for a modification. Common grounds for modification include:

A parent's relocation, development of substance abuse problems, failure to comply with the existing parenting plan, changes in the child's educational or medical needs, a parent's incarceration, or evidence of abuse or neglect that was not present at the time of the original order.

Modification cases carry a heavy burden of proof. You must demonstrate not only that circumstances have changed, but that the proposed modification serves the child's best interests. Christine Leonard builds modification cases with the evidence, documentation, and legal arguments necessary to meet that burden and win.

Relocation Cases

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Under Florida Statute 61.13001, a parent who wants to relocate more than 50 miles from their current residence with a child must either obtain the other parent's written consent or file a petition with the court. Relocation cases are among the most aggressively contested matters in family law because the outcome fundamentally alters the timesharing arrangement.

Whether you are seeking to relocate or fighting to prevent your child from being moved across the state or country, Christine Leonard provides the aggressive, strategic representation these high-stakes cases demand. She has handled relocation disputes involving job transfers, military reassignments, remarriage, and parents seeking to move closer to extended family — and she fights relentlessly to protect your rights.

Emergency Custody Motions

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When your child is in immediate danger — due to abuse, neglect, substance abuse, domestic violence, or a parent's plan to flee the jurisdiction — there is no time to wait for the normal court process. Christine Leonard files emergency motions for temporary custody and injunctive relief to protect your child immediately. She knows how to present compelling evidence to the court on an emergency basis and secure the protective orders your family needs.

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