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Custody And Visitation: Considerations For Every Attorney Retained By A Survivor Of Domestic Violence, Caitlin Glass, Tamara Kuennen, Sharon Lopez

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

Legal representation is a critical tool for survivors of domestic violence to live free from their battering partners. Representation in custody and visitation matters-- integral issues in the separation context--is particularly consequential for survivors. First, studies of custody litigation indicate that fathers who battered the mothers of their children are twice as likely to seek sole physical custody as are nonviolent fathers. Batterers are as likely as nonbattering fathers to prevail. Since the 1970s, fathers in general have been at a marked advantage in custody disputes. Second, custody and visitation claims involve a complex array of legal issues, laws, practices, …