Child Custody Solutions That Keep Your Child at the Center
Jennifer Curtis helps parents in Butler, Warren and Hamilton counties understand their rights under Ohio custody law and build parenting arrangements around their child, explaining every step in plain language so you never walk into a hearing unsure of where you stand.
How Ohio Custody Laws Decide Where Your Child Lives
Under Ohio custody laws, the court allocates parental rights and responsibilities based on the child's best interest. It either names one parent the residential parent and legal custodian, or approves a shared parenting plan that gives both parents a role in raising the child.
Custody decisions are deeply personal, and the uncertainty can be the hardest part. You work directly with Jennifer, who explains what the law actually requires, what the court will look at in your case, and how to pursue the arrangement that fits your family, through negotiation or in court. Whether custody is part of your
divorce or you need to change an existing order, we stay with you every step of the way.
Types of Custody in Ohio
Ohio law uses its own terms for custody. "Legal custody," the right to make major decisions about school, health care and religion, and "physical custody," where the child lives day to day, are the everyday words most parents search for, and both are folded into how the court allocates parental rights and responsibilities. In practice, Ohio custody arrangements take three forms:
- Sole custody: one parent is named the residential parent and legal custodian, with primary responsibility for where the child lives and the major decisions in the child's life.
- Shared parenting: both parents share the rights and responsibilities of raising the child under a court-approved shared parenting plan.
- Parenting time: the schedule of when the child is with each parent, which Ohio uses in place of the older term "visitation."
We create parenting schedules, resolve disagreements, and draft shared parenting agreements that meet court approval and work in daily life.
What Goes Into an Ohio Shared Parenting Plan
To request shared parenting, either parent or both parents file a proposed shared parenting plan with the court. A complete plan addresses:
- Where the child lives on which days of the week
- School-year, holiday and vacation schedules
- How parents make decisions about education, health care and religion
- Transportation and where exchanges take place
- How the parents will resolve disagreements that come up later
The court approves a plan only if it serves the child's best interest, and the plan works alongside the court's
child support order. Jennifer drafts plans that hold up in front of the judge and still make sense on a school morning or a holiday weekend.
Is Ohio a 50/50 Custody State?
No. Under current Ohio law, there is no automatic 50/50 split of parenting time. The court decides parenting time based on the child's best interest, and equal time happens when parents agree to it or when the court finds an equal schedule fits the child.
You may have heard that Ohio is moving to 50/50 custody. That refers to Ohio Senate Bill 174, which has passed the Ohio Senate and is pending in the Ohio House. The bill would replace the terms "custody" and "visitation" with parenting plan language and would start most cases from shared parental responsibility. It is not current law, and every custody case in Ohio today is decided under the existing best-interest standard.
What Are Ohio Child Custody Laws for Unmarried Parents?
When parents are not married, Ohio treats the mother as the
sole residential parent and legal custodian until a court issues a custody order. For a father, the path to custody or parenting time runs through two steps:
Step 1: Establish paternity
Paternity is established through a signed acknowledgment of paternity or through genetic testing.
Step 2: Ask the court for custody or parenting time
The father files for custody or parenting time, usually in the county juvenile court rather than the domestic relations court.
Once the case is before the court, both parents stand as equals, and the decision turns on the child's best interest, not on which parent had the child first. Married or not, Jennifer explains your rights before the first hearing so you know exactly what you are asking the court for.
When Custody Disputes Arise
Prepared to Negotiate. Ready to Litigate.
Disagreements about where a child will live or how parenting time will be split can quickly escalate. Jennifer’s approach starts with practical problem-solving—but when agreement isn’t possible, she doesn’t hesitate to fight for her client’s role as a parent. Her courtroom preparation and assertive advocacy have helped parents across Butler, Warren, and Hamilton counties achieve outcomes that protect their children and parenting rights.
In high-conflict cases or those involving special needs, relocation, or unsafe conditions, JCurtis Law offers both the legal knowledge and lived perspective to guide clients with strength and clarity.
Custody Modifications & Enforcement
Life after a custody order can bring new jobs, remarriages, moves, or changes in a child's needs. To change a custody order in Ohio, a parent generally has to show a change in circumstances and that the change serves the child's best interest. Jennifer helps parents request modifications to parenting time or custody and builds the record the court needs to see. She also assists with enforcement when the other parent isn't complying with the court order.
These situations can be stressful and complex. We provide the legal tools and calm direction to help parents take the next step without escalating the conflict further.
Court S.
"From attorneys telling me I had no chance to Jennifer and Katie helping me regain full custody of my daughter."
Frances
"She worked day in and day out on my child custody case to make sure I received everything I wanted."
Temery R.
"She represented me through an extremely high-conflict custody case that lasted nearly two years. From start to finish, Jennifer was incredibly knowledgeable, strategic, compassionate, and a fierce advocate for my family."
Testimonials
What Custody Clients Say About Working With Jennifer
Custody Modifications & Enforcement
Life after a custody order can bring new jobs, remarriages, moves, or changes in a child's needs. To change a custody order in Ohio, a parent generally has to show a change in circumstances and that the change serves the child's best interest. Jennifer helps parents request modifications to parenting time or custody and builds the record the court needs to see. She also assists with enforcement when the other parent isn't complying with the court order.
These situations can be stressful and complex. We provide the legal tools and calm direction to help parents take the next step without escalating the conflict further.
Answers to the Ohio Custody Questions Parents Ask Most
How does Ohio determine child custody?
Ohio courts decide custody based on the best interest of the child. The factors a judge weighs include:
- Each parent's wishes
- The child's wishes and concerns, often shared with the judge in a private interview
- The child's relationships with parents, siblings and other important people
- How well the child is adjusted to home, school and community
- The mental and physical health of everyone involved
- Which parent is more likely to honor court-ordered parenting time
- Any history of abuse or failure to pay child support
What is the difference between legal custody and physical custody?
Legal custody refers to decision-making authority, while physical custody relates to where the child lives. Ohio law handles both through the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities, either to one parent as residential parent and legal custodian or to both parents under a shared parenting plan.
Who gets custody of a child if the parents are not married in Ohio?
The mother is the sole residential parent and legal custodian until a court orders otherwise. A father can establish paternity and then ask the court for custody or parenting time, and from that point both parents are treated as equals under the best-interest standard.
Is Ohio a 50/50 custody state?
No. Current Ohio law does not presume equal parenting time; the court sets a schedule based on the child's best interest. Proposed legislation that would start most cases from shared parental responsibility is pending in the Ohio House but is not law.
What has to be in a shared parenting plan in Ohio?
A shared parenting plan sets out where the child lives on which days, school and holiday schedules, and how parents make decisions about education, health care and religion. It also covers transportation, exchanges and how disagreements will be handled. The court approves the plan only if it serves the child's best interest.
Can a custody order be modified later?
Yes. Custody orders may be modified if there is a significant change in circumstances and the modification serves the child's best interests.
At what age can a child choose which parent to live with in Ohio?
Ohio sets no fixed age at which a child decides. The judge may interview the child privately and considers the child's wishes based on age and maturity, but those wishes are one factor among many in the best-interest decision.
What happens if the other parent violates a custody order?
If a parent fails to follow a custody order, legal remedies may be available. We help parents address enforcement issues through the appropriate legal channels.
A Local Attorney Who Listens First and Fights Smart
Jennifer Curtis brings the perspective of a parent who raised a child with special needs to every custody case she takes on. As a child custody lawyer in West Chester, Ohio, she represents parents across three counties:
- Butler County parents in West Chester, Liberty Township and Fairfield
- Warren County family law clients in Mason and Lebanon
- Hamilton County parents in Cincinnati and nearby communities
You won't be rushed, talked over, or handed vague legal jargon. Call (513) 663-5752 to talk through your custody situation with Jennifer directly.