Legal Question in Family Law in Louisiana
child custody
how old does a child have to be to decide which parent he or she would like to live with?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: child custody
Dear LawGuru Friend,
To my knowledge there is no law on the subject you are inquiring about; nevertheless, the older the child is, the more reliance and deference the judge will give to what the child desires. No matter what the age, so long as the child is a juvenile, the decision is not the child's, but the judge's in a contested case. Of course, Joint Custody should always be preferred, no matter the age of the child. If you will e-mail me your mailing address, I will send you a copy of the local district court's Suggested Joint Custody Stipulation/Plan/Judgment. Good luck with your legal problems!
Sincerely,
Hardy Parkerson, Atty.
Lake Charles, LA