Children Issues

Child Support in Colorado is based on a formula, which considers the overnights each parent will have with the children, each parent’s income, and any extra-ordinary expenses including medical expenses, day care costs, and health insurance costs, and then allocate the amount of child support to be paid by each parent. Parents are responsible for the support of their children until the children are emancipated; generally, in Colorado, emancipation occurs at 19 years of age. However, certain factors may emancipate a child before or after the 19th birthday. Child support becomes complex when determining a parent’s income, or potential income if unemployed or underemployed, and determining what are valid expenses to include on the child support worksheet. Michael Switzer has prepared thousands of child support worksheets as well as litigated child support issues and modifications. Whether you are fighting to get adequate support from your ex, or you are expected to pay child support we are here to assure that the Court’s treat you fairly and you receive, or pay, the appropriate amount of child support.

It can be difficult to reach an agreement on parenting time for both sides. The Courts are guided by the “best interest of the child” standard in determining parenting time. Michael Switzer has crafted parenting time plans to cover many different situations and family dynamics and has helped parents reach agreements that are satisfying to both sides, that are fair, and in the best interest of the children.

In most cases the court will want both parents to share the responsibilities for decisions regarding the children in areas like Education, Religion and Medical Care. But there are situations where shared decision making is either undesirable or impossible. The Court can allocate decision-making solely to one party for either a particular area, such as education, or for all aspects of decision-making. If parties cannot agree on decision-making responsibilities, the Court may appoint an expert such as a Child and Family Investigator or Parental Responsibility Evaluator, to aid the Court in investigating the facts and making recommendations. Michael Switzer is adept in working with parties and experts in determining decision-making responsibilities with the focus on the best interest of your children.