Child Visitation Attorney in Omaha

Parenting Time Under the Nebraska Parenting Act

Nebraska uses the term parenting time to describe the schedule of access each parent has with their children. If you’ve searched for visitation rights, you’re looking at the same legal concept. The governing statute is the Nebraska Parenting Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. 43-2923), which directs courts to evaluate parenting time decisions under the best interests of the child standard. This framework weighs each parent’s relationship with the child, the child’s own reasoned preferences, the child’s general health and welfare, and credible evidence of abuse, among other factors.

Nebraska law establishes that a noncustodial parent’s access to their children shouldn’t be denied unless the court determines that visitation would be detrimental to the child’s best interests. Courts retain continuing jurisdiction over parenting time orders, meaning these arrangements can be reviewed and adjusted as circumstances change. Our attorneys guide clients through how these requirements apply to their specific situation.

Building a Parenting Plan for Douglas County Court

In any Nebraska proceeding involving parenting functions, the court must approve a parenting plan under Neb. Rev. Stat. 43-2929. A compliant plan addresses the division of parenting time, including weekdays, weekends, holidays, birthdays, and school vacations, where the child will be during each period, a transition plan specifying times and locations for handoffs, and procedures for day-to-day decision-making. If parents can’t agree, Douglas County District Court can establish a plan based on the child’s best interests.

Nebraska also requires parents in custody and parenting time matters to complete a court-approved co-parenting class and attempt mediation before bringing a dispute to court. We handle both. Our team drafts parenting plans that meet Douglas County’s requirements and reflect your family’s specific circumstances, and we represent clients through mediation and negotiation with the other parent.

Visitation Matters We Handle in Omaha

We represent both mothers and fathers across the full range of parenting time and child visitation matters in Omaha and Douglas County:

• Initial parenting time establishment: Developing and negotiating a schedule at the time of divorce or separation
• Parenting plan drafting: Preparing court-ready plans that address all required components under Nebraska law
• Contested parenting time hearings: Representing clients before Douglas County District Court when disputes can’t be resolved outside of court
• Denied or interfered-with visitation: Pursuing enforcement when a parent is being denied court-ordered parenting time, including through a family access motion
• Grandparent and third-party visitation: Addressing claims by grandparents or others who stood in loco parentis to the child

Failure to comply with a court-ordered parenting time schedule is punishable by contempt under Nebraska law. Child support and parenting time are separate legal obligations. Neither parent may stop following one because the other isn’t complying with the other. We help clients understand these distinctions before taking any action.

A Team-Based Approach That Goes to Trial When Necessary

Many firms settle parenting time cases because litigation is resource-intensive. Our approach is different. When you work with Slowiaczek Albers & Whelan, the full team is on your case, reviewing the facts, stress-testing the strategy, and preparing evidence-based presentations if the matter proceeds to a hearing. We don’t settle because trial feels inconvenient. We settle when settlement genuinely serves our client, and we go to court when it doesn’t.

We’re candid about what cases realistically involve and don’t promise outcomes. What we offer is the preparation and collective judgment of a team that other family law firms turn to for advice on difficult matters.