Child Custody & Contact Lawyer in Nuremberg
Clear arrangements after separation – in the interest of your children and with your rights as a parent in mind.
Children after separation – creating clear arrangements
When parents separate, children often live mainly with one parent. Questions arise: Who decides on school, place of residence and health? How often does the other parent see the children? What applies during the holidays – and can one parent move abroad with the child? I represent you – always with the child’s welfare in mind, which is the central criterion for German courts and youth welfare offices.
Parental responsibility (custody)
Married parents generally share joint parental responsibility – also after separation and divorce. Decisions of major importance (choice of school, relocation, religion, major medical treatment) require the consent of both parents. Day-to-day matters are decided by the parent with whom the child lives.
- Sole custody is only granted if this is in the best interests of the child – for example if the parents are unable to cooperate.
- Right to determine residence: often only this part of parental responsibility is transferred, e.g. in a dispute about where the child should live.
- Unmarried parents: fathers obtain joint custody by a declaration of parental responsibility or by court application.
Contact rights
Every child has the right to contact with both parents – and each parent is entitled and obliged to have contact. If the parents cannot agree, the family court decides on the extent and arrangement of contact, such as every other weekend and holiday arrangements.
Relocation abroad and child abduction
Moving abroad with a child requires the consent of the other parent if custody is shared. Taking a child abroad without consent can constitute international child abduction under the Hague Convention. I advise you on relocation and act quickly in urgent cases.
How I support you
- Advice on custody and contact arrangements, including shared care
- Representation before the family court and the youth welfare office (Jugendamt)
- Urgent proceedings, e.g. in cases of risk to the child’s welfare or imminent relocation abroad
- Enforcement of existing contact arrangements
Custody and contact lawyer in Nuremberg, Fürth, Erlangen and Middle Franconia
Our office is centrally located at Gleißbühlstraße 7, 90402 Nuremberg (Nürnberg), about a five-minute walk from Nuremberg Central Station. We represent clients from Nuremberg and the entire metropolitan region – including Fürth, Erlangen, Schwabach, Zirndorf, Stein, Lauf an der Pegnitz, Hersbruck, Feucht, Roth and Neumarkt – before the local courts, in particular the Nuremberg Local Court (Amtsgericht), the Nuremberg-Fürth Regional Court (Landgericht) and the Nuremberg Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht).
Questions about custody and contact
Will I automatically get sole custody after separation?
No. Joint parental responsibility generally continues. Sole custody is only granted on application if it is in the best interests of the child.
Can I move abroad with my child?
If you share custody, a relocation that significantly affects contact with the other parent – especially abroad – requires their consent or a court decision. Moving without consent may count as child abduction.
From what age can a child decide?
There is no fixed age. The court hears children and gives their wishes more weight the older and more mature they are; from around 12 to 14 years, a child’s wishes usually carry considerable weight.
Need a lawyer in Nuremberg?
Call or email us – we will get back to you as quickly as possible. Advice in English, German, Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian.