Licking County Shared Parenting Attorneys

Hire Gavvl for your Licking County shared parenting case

Flat-fee and full-representation options: we handle the filings, the Licking County local forms, the court strategy, and the hearings — and you know the price before we start (flat fees from $1,250).

Start with a $25 consultation and talk through your options with an Ohio family-law attorney before you commit to anything. Get started online or see payment plans & financing.

Hire Gavvl Law for shared parenting in Licking County

Ohio calls it shared parenting, not joint custody, and Licking County will only approve a plan that addresses every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor and serves the children's best interest — anything less gets sent back for revision. Gavvl Law drafts a Shared Parenting Plan the Newark court will accept, builds the schedule off the county's Rule 19.0 framework, and represents you through the best-interest review, on a flat fee for agreed plans and full representation when the other parent fights.

• A plan that covers all of 3109.04(G). A Shared Parenting Plan must set living arrangements, the holiday and vacation calendar, child support, decision-making, transportation, school and health-care choices, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution. We draft every one of those so the court is not handing your plan back with a list of gaps to fix.
• Rule 19.0 as the schedule backbone. When parents cannot agree on time, the court fills the gap with its Rule 19.0 standard order — alternate weekends, a midweek visit, a holiday rotation, and a summer option, with a separate schedule once parents live more than 150 miles apart. We draft from Rule 19.0 and argue the deviations your family actually needs.
• Best interest is the whole ballgame. The court approves shared parenting only if it serves the child under the R.C. 3109.04(F) factors, and it can appoint a Guardian ad Litem under Rule 29.0 to investigate. We prepare you for that scrutiny and, when a GAL is named, engage with the investigation instead of leaving it to chance.

Shared parenting rides inside a Licking County divorce, dissolution, or Juvenile custody case, so there is no separate plan fee — it follows the underlying deposit. We fit the plan, the UCCJEA affidavit, and the support worksheet into that case at the right courthouse in Newark so your proposal is the one the judge adopts.

Flat-fee options

Flat-fee limited scope: we draft and file the complaint to establish custody and parenting time, or prepare your shared parenting plan for filing. You appear at any hearing.

• Establish custody & parenting time: $1,250
• Shared parenting plan (drafting): $1,650

Prefer full representation? An Ohio attorney can carry the entire case on a $3,500 retainer.

Split any flat fee with Gavvl Direct — our in-house plan at 19% APR, $500 minimum — on a 60%-down schedule of 18 weekly, 8 bi-weekly, or 4 monthly payments, or full financing where work begins once 60% is paid. Affirm, Klarna, and PayPal Pay Later are also available through LawPay.

Start your shared parenting case or see payment plans & financing.

Real people, — with direct lines

• Stephanie Green — Managing Partner
• Elizabeth Warren — Managing Partner
• Niva Elgin — Senior Case Manager · Licensed New Mexico Attorney

Your consultation

Stephanie Green or Elizabeth Warren, our managing partners — or Niva Elgin, our senior case manager and a licensed New Mexico attorney. They've heard hundreds of situations like yours and will tell you plainly what you need, and what you don't. Meet the firm.

Your attorney

One of our Of Counsel Ohio family-law attorneys is your attorney for the case — from the first strategy call to the final order in Licking County. You have their name and a direct line the day your file opens. Our attorneys.

Your case team

Niva Elgin keeps your case moving as Senior Case Manager. Madeline Wampler, Certified Paralegal, handles documents and scheduling. Erin Schultz, Finance Manager, handles billing and payment plans. Real people who answer when you call.

• 95+ five-star Google reviews
• 60+ years of combined Ohio family-law experience
• Super Lawyers Rising Stars honorees on the team: Elizabeth Warren (2021–2023) and Samantha Berkhofer (2019–2021)
• Every flat fee published before you call

From first call to retained, — and every step after

1. Consultation — A 30-minute phone call, $25. You talk with Stephanie Green, Elizabeth Warren, or Niva Elgin about what's happening and what Ohio law actually does with it. Before you hang up you'll know whether you need a lawyer at all — and if you do, you leave with a written quote: the service we recommend, the price, your financing options, and your next steps.
2. Choose — Pick the level of help. Pay, or set up financing. Limited-scope flat fee or full representation — you choose, with real numbers in front of you. Pay online, or secure a Gavvl Direct payment plan or third-party financing in a few minutes. Nothing is billed until you decide.
3. Sign — Your agreement arrives by email. Review the client agreement and sign it electronically — from your phone if you like. While you do, your attorney reviews your intake.
4. Get started — Your first attorney call goes on the calendar. Limited scope: your attorney's first call is scheduled from your intake. Full representation: a paralegal reaches out the same or next business day to open your file and gather what's needed, then schedules your first attorney call — and if something is urgent, you speak with the attorney first.

It's easier than ever to retain an excellent attorney.

How you'll stay updated — you never have to wonder

Every client gets GavvLink™, our client portal, on day one. Your whole case — messages, calendar, billing, status — lives in one place, and your team is a message away.

• Reach your attorney directly. Message, text, email, or call. Request a callback or book time on their calendar yourself — no waiting to hear back.
• Case calendar with reminders. Every hearing, deadline, and milestone, with a reminder before each one.
• Case status updates. See where your case stands and what happens next, updated as it moves.
• Payments and billing in real time. Every entry on your account as it posts, plus links to make a payment or add funds.
• Your case team, one message away. Full-representation clients message their paralegal and case manager the same way — and they answer.
• 24/7 receptionists and direct lines. Something urgent after hours? A live receptionist answers around the clock and reaches your team. You also have your attorney's direct line — and a way to reach the managing partners. We return calls and messages promptly.

Can I do this without an attorney?

sometimes, yes. Ohio lets you represent yourself, and for a genuinely agreed dissolution or a simple motion, some people do. The Licking County forms and local rules are linked in the questions below, and our free tools will draft a parenting plan or estimate child support before you spend anything.

Here's what the online-divorce platforms leave out: most Ohio counties require their own forms and language on top of the statewide ones, and a rejected filing is the most common reason people call us after trying it alone. A $25, 30-minute call tells you whether you can do this yourself — and if you can, we'll say so.

• Free parenting plan builder
• Free child support estimate
• Attorney-written guides
• See the Licking County forms & local rules

Schedule Your $25 Consultation

Where to File: Licking County Domestic Relations Court

Juvenile Branch (Never-Married Parents)

Licking County Probate & Juvenile Court
1 North Park Place, Newark, OH 43055
Phone: (740) 670-5624
Hours: Monday–Friday (call the court to confirm current hours)

Shared Parenting is the right path if…

• Both parents want to be designated residential parents and legal custodians.
• You can put a complete written plan together covering living arrangements, holidays, decision-making, and support.
• Shared decision-making is realistic for your family and serves the children's best interest.
• You can complete the parenting seminar and submit a child-support worksheet with the plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which forms do I need to file for shared parenting in Licking County?

File a Shared Parenting Plan

Used when both parents ask to share parental rights. The plan must address every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor, and is filed inside the divorce/dissolution (DR Court) or the Juvenile custody case.

• Shared Parenting Plan (Ohio SC Form 20) — Required when both parents are asking to be designated residential parents under R.C. 3109.04(G). Must be notarized.
• Parenting Proceeding / UCCJEA Affidavit (Ohio SC Affidavit 3) — Required in any case with minor children. Lists where each child has lived for the last 5 years, confirming Ohio's UCCJEA jurisdiction.
• Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet (2024 Income Shares) — Run the official Ohio Child Support Calculator, print, and sign. Required any time the court sets or changes support.

How to file shared parenting in Licking County

1. Confirm both parents want to share rights. Shared parenting names both parents as residential parents and legal custodians. If only one parent will be residential, use a Parenting Plan (Form 21) instead.
2. Draft a plan covering every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor. Address living arrangements, holidays and vacations, child support, decision-making, transportation, school and health care, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution.
3. Add the UCCJEA affidavit and support worksheet. File the Parenting Proceeding Affidavit and an Ohio Child Support Computation Worksheet with the plan.
4. Submit the plan in your case and complete the seminar. File the Shared Parenting Plan inside the divorce/dissolution or Juvenile custody case, and complete the parenting seminar if your case requires it.
5. Attend the hearing — the court applies best interest. The judge or magistrate reviews the plan against the R.C. 3109.04(F) best-interest factors and either approves it or directs revisions; Rule 19.0 fills any schedule gaps.

What does shared parenting cost in Licking County?

Two numbers matter. The court's filing fee, which the Clerk sets and can confirm. And the attorney work: Our published flat fees from $1,250 cover drafting and filing the paperwork (limited scope — the court's filing fee is invoiced separately), with payment plans available. Prefer full representation? An attorney can carry the whole case on a retainer — every number is published in the pricing section above.

What forms do I need for shared parenting in Licking County?

It depends on your situation — children, temporary orders, and which court you file in all change the packet. Answer the quick questions in the paperwork section above and your exact Licking County checklist appears, with every official form linked as a PDF.

How long does shared parenting take in Licking County?

It depends on how much you and the other side agree. Agreed matters generally move through Licking County Domestic Relations Court in months, not years; contested cases take longer. The part you control is filing a complete, correct packet the first time — bounced paperwork is the most common self-filing delay.

Do we really need lawyers if we agree?

Maybe not — and we'll say so at a $25 consultation. But an agreement only counts if it survives on paper, in the exact packet Licking County's court expects, and what you file becomes a binding court order that is hard to fix later. Precision drafting for people who already agree is most of what our flat-fee work is: done once, done right.

Where are the Licking County local rules, and what does this court do differently?

Judges, magistrates, and filing fees change, so we do not publish them here. Licking County posts the current information itself:

• Licking County Domestic Relations Court — local rules, standing orders, and the current judges and magistrates.
• Licking County Clerk of Courts — current filing fees and deposits, e-filing, and case records.

• The plan must address every R.C. 3109.04(G) factor. A written Shared Parenting Plan must cover physical living arrangements, the holiday and vacation schedule, child support, decision-making authority, transportation, school and health-care decisions, tax exemptions, and dispute resolution. Plans that skip a factor are routinely sent back for revision.
• Rule 19.0 standard parenting time. When parents don't agree on a schedule, the Domestic Relations Court applies its Rule 19.0 standard parenting-time order (the May 1, 2009 version is the most recent reviewed in full): alternate weekends Friday 6:00 p.m. to Monday 9:00 a.m., a Wednesday 6:00 p.m. to Thursday 9:00 a.m. midweek, a holiday rotation, and one of four summer options. The version that governs a family is the one in effect when their order was entered.
• Summer options and the long-distance (150-mile) schedule. Rule 19.0's May 1, 2009 standard order picks one of four summer plans when the order is entered: (1) one-week rotating (the default for temporary/ex parte orders during a pending divorce), (2) two-week rotating, (3) summer divided at the midpoint (the default when parents live more than 150 miles apart), or (4) keep the existing schedule with up to 14 vacation days in blocks of 7 or more. A parent taking vacation must give 30 days' notice and a travel itinerary. When parents live more than 150 miles apart, the non-residential parent instead gets extended holiday blocks (Thanksgiving and Christmas in even years; spring break and Christmas in odd years) plus added vacation, with summer split at the midpoint. General rules include a 15-minute pickup grace period (30 minutes if the drive is more than 30 miles one way), the non-residential parent handling transportation for weekend and midweek time, and one phone call per day between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
• Best-interest standard governs approval. R.C. 3109.04(F)(1) lists 10+ best-interest factors — each parent's wishes, the child's wishes when of sufficient age, the child's interaction with parents/siblings, adjustment to home/school/community, the mental and physical health of all involved, the parent more likely to facilitate court-approved parenting time, support compliance, and any history of abuse. The court approves shared parenting only when it serves the child's best interest.

Are there free legal resources in Licking County?

• Licking County Domestic Relations Court. 75 East Main Street, Newark, OH 43055; (740) 670-5400, fax (740) 670-5419. Provides current filing fees, the Domestic Relations forms, rules & guides page (https://lickingcounty.gov/depts/domestic/forms_rules.htm), and CPO packets. The civil docket is maintained by the Clerk of Common Pleas, Olivia C. Parkinson.
• Licking County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA). 65 East Main Street, Newark, OH 43055; (740) 670-5998 or 1-800-513-1128 (https://lickingcounty.gov/depts/csea/). Opens IV-D cases, sets and collects support by wage withholding, and enforces orders. CSEA enforces the court's order; it does not represent either parent.
• Parenting seminar — "Helping Children Succeed After Divorce" (The Woodlands). Required for everyone with minor children who files for divorce or dissolution. About 90 minutes online or a 2-hour in-person class. Register at www.thewoodland.org or (740) 349-7066 (online tech support ext. 241).
• Licking County Domestic Relations Mediation. Mediation Coordinator Christopher R. Meyer, (740) 670-5409 (https://lickingcounty.gov/depts/domestic/mediation.htm). Offers assessment and referral to a court-approved mediator for divorce and post-divorce parenting disputes. A domestic-violence victim may decline mediation or bring a support person.
• The Center for New Beginnings (domestic-violence help). Helps victims obtain a protection order and offers free confidential housing and services: (740) 345-4498 or (740) 349-8719, toll-free 1-800-686-2760.
• Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (SEOLS) — Newark. 15 West Locust Ave., Suite A, Newark, OH 43055; (740) 345-0850 or 1-888-831-9412. Free civil legal help for those who qualify.

Start Your Parenting Plan for Free

Before you meet with an attorney or mediator, try our free Ohio parenting plan builder — it explains sole custody vs. shared parenting in plain language and turns your answers into a printable worksheet you can bring to court, mediation, or a consultation.

Other Family-Law Topics in Licking County

• Licking County Divorce — Full filing guide with forms, the fee, and the parenting seminar.
• Licking County Custody — Where to file when parents are married vs. never married.
• Ohio Child Support Calculator — Run the 2024 Income Shares worksheet yourself.
• Ohio family-law resources — 88-county directory of courts and legal aid.

Related to your shared parenting case

• Paternity & Custody — Establish parentage and build a parenting plan that protects your children.
• Child Support — Calculate, establish, or modify support under Ohio's guidelines.
• Post-Decree Modification — Update custody, support, or parenting orders after your case ends.

Related guides

In-depth, attorney-written guides on shared parenting and related Ohio family law topics.

• Shared Parenting in Ohio: How Joint Custody Really Works — Shared parenting is Ohio's version of joint custody — both parents stay legal custodians and share major decisions. Here's what a plan must cover and how courts decide.
• Ohio Child Custody Laws: What Every Parent Should Know — Ohio custody law turns on one principle: the best interest of the child. This guide explains sole custody, shared parenting, the statutory factors, and how courts decide.
• My Ex Leaves Our Child With the Grandparents During Their Parenting Time. Can I Do Anything About It? — Ohio courts favor grandparent relationships, so a few nights a month at grandma's is not a problem. It becomes one when the grandparents replace the parent. This guide explains why the court cannot order the grandparents to do anything, how to tell whether you have shared parenting or sole custody, and the six realistic options — from a documented conversation to a right of first refusal, contempt, a parenting time modification, a custody change, or an emergency motion.
• Fathers' Rights in Ohio: Custody, Paternity, and Parenting Time — Ohio law does not favor mothers over fathers — but unmarried fathers must establish paternity before they have any rights. Here's how fathers protect their relationship with their children.

More Licking County family-law resources

• Ohio Shared Parenting guide — Statewide overview of shared parenting in Ohio.
• Columbus family law — Local attorneys and courts serving the Columbus metro.
• Licking County family law guide — Court info, local filing notes, FAQs, and the downloadable Licking County guide.
• Meet Stephanie Green — Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Gavvl Law.
• Payment plans & financing — Flat fees with Gavvl Direct, Affirm, Klarna, or PayPal Pay Later.