Parental Rights

Parental Rights Attorney in Colorado Springs

A Father-Daughter Family Law Team Serving El Paso County Since 1998

Your relationship with your child is worth protecting. At Law Office of Greg Quimby, P.C., Attorney Greg Quimby and his daughter, Attorney Erica Vasconcellos, have guided Colorado Springs families through parental rights matters since 1998, more than 25 years helping El Paso County parents when their time with their children or their authority over their children’s lives is at stake.

Parental rights covers two things in practice: the time you spend with your child and your say in decisions about education, healthcare, and upbringing. Disputes over either can move fast, and having an attorney who knows Colorado family law and knows your situation matters.

We offer free initial consultations to parents in Colorado Springs and El Paso County. Call (719) 212-4227 to speak with our team.

50 Combined Years of Experience, With a Team Behind Every Case

What sets our firm apart isn’t just the years of practice. It’s the structure behind each case. Attorney Quimby brings decades of courtroom and negotiation experience; Attorney Vasconcellos brings a current perspective on evolving family law. Together with our paralegals and legal assistants, our team works collectively on your matter rather than handing it off to support staff after the first meeting.

We commit to responding to client communications within 24 business hours. When a parenting issue is active, delays cost you. We pursue negotiated and mediated resolutions when the circumstances support them, and we prepare for litigation when they don’t.

Parental Rights Situations We Handle

Many parental rights matters fit a familiar pattern: establishing parenting time and decision-making when parents separate, or modifying an existing order when circumstances change. We handle both, along with enforcement when the other parent isn’t following a court order.

Two situations where parental rights need particular attention are also central to our practice:

Step-parent adoption: When a stepparent adopts a child, the adoption creates new legal parental rights. We handle these proceedings, including the required consent and termination steps.
Military families: Deployments and duty station changes frequently require adjustments to a parenting time schedule. Our military divorce practice addresses these issues directly, building parenting plans that account for the realities of military service.

Whether you’re establishing a new order, seeking a modification, or responding to a violation, our goal is to protect your relationship with your child both now and in the future.

Where Colorado Springs Parental Rights Cases Are Heard

Family law matters in Colorado Springs, including parenting time and decision-making disputes, are filed in the 4th Judicial District at the El Paso County Combined Courts. The 4th Judicial District covers El Paso County and Teller County. Colorado courts decide these cases under the best-interests-of-the-child standard set out in Colorado Revised Statutes Section 14-10-124. The factors courts weigh under that standard are detailed in the section below.

Start With a Free Consultation

Parental rights questions rarely get simpler with time. Law Office of Greg Quimby, P.C. offers free initial consultations so you can understand your position before deciding on next steps. Our team is ready to listen, explain your options under Colorado law, and help you move forward. Call (719) 212-4227 to schedule your consultation today.

How Colorado Law Defines Parental Rights

Colorado doesn’t use the term “custody.” Instead, the law refers to the Allocation of Parental Responsibilities, commonly shortened to APR. Understanding this framework helps parents know exactly what they’re asking the court to decide.

APR has two distinct components:

Parenting time: The schedule governing when your child is physically with each parent, equivalent to what many states call physical custody.
Decision-making responsibility: Authority over major decisions in a child’s life, including education, healthcare, and religious upbringing. This can be allocated jointly to both parents, solely to one parent, or divided by subject matter.

Colorado law doesn’t presume that either parent should serve as the primary caregiver based on gender. Each case is evaluated on its own facts.

The Best-Interests Standard Under C.R.S. Section 14-10-124

Every parenting time and decision-making dispute in Colorado is resolved under the best-interests-of-the-child standard. The court doesn’t favor one parent by default. It weighs a set of statutory factors to determine what arrangement serves the child.

Those factors include:

The wishes of each parent
The child’s own preference, if the child is mature enough to form and express an independent, reasoned view
The child’s relationship with each parent, siblings, and other significant people in their life
The child’s adjustment to home, school, and community
The mental and physical health of everyone involved
Each parent’s willingness to encourage the child’s relationship with the other parent

Colorado courts won’t consider a parent’s conduct that doesn’t affect their relationship with the child. There’s no fixed age at which a child’s stated preference becomes controlling. The court determines whether the preference reflects genuine independent reasoning.

Modifying Orders, Enforcing Them, & Non-Parent Rights

A parenting order isn’t necessarily permanent. Colorado courts retain jurisdiction over parental responsibility matters until the child turns 18, and modifications are available when circumstances change meaningfully, such as a relocation or a significant shift in a parent’s work schedule.

When one parent violates an existing order, the other can seek enforcement through the court, including make-up parenting time or other remedies depending on the nature of the violation.

Non-parents also have a legal path in Colorado under specific conditions. A non-parent may petition for allocation of parental responsibilities if the child has lived in their primary care for at least six months. When that petition comes over a parent’s objection, the court must find clear and convincing evidence that granting it serves the child’s best interest. Separately, grandparents may petition for visitation following a family disruption such as divorce or the death of a parent, when visitation is in the child’s best interest.

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Meet Our Team

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What Sets Us Apart

Team-Oriented
Our large support staff is eager to help with your case.
Family Owned & Operated Firm
Run by Father & Daughter.
Prompt Communication
We'll respond within 24 business hours.
Impressive Legal Experience
50 years combined between all the attorneys.

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Initial Consultations Are Free

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