Crouse Erickson | Spokane
Crouse Erickson | Spokane
Working out a parenting plan for the first time means putting decisions on paper that used to happen without a second thought: school, doctors, and holidays. Crouse Erickson helps Spokane parents establish a custody arrangement and parenting plan that holds up in Spokane County Superior Court, whether both parents agree on most of it or nothing at all.
A first custody case looks different depending on where the parents start. Some come in with a rough agreement already in place and need it written into an enforceable parenting plan. Others are negotiating from opposite ends of the table, with real disagreement over where the child lives, who decides on schooling, and how holidays get split.
We handle both. Crouse Erickson practices family law exclusively, and custody cases, alongside divorce, make up the core of our work.
Call (509) 624-1380 to talk to our office about your situation.
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A Washington parenting plan is a court-ordered document that spells out where a child lives, how parents share decision-making, and how disputes get resolved going forward. Once entered by the court, it carries the same legal weight as any other order.
Under RCW 26.09.184, a permanent parenting plan must address decision-making authority, a residential schedule, and a process for resolving future disagreements without going back to court every time. Parents who assume they can work things out informally later are often surprised that the plan itself needs to spell out that process in advance.
A complete parenting plan typically covers:
Crouse Erickson approaches every custody case with the same preparation, regardless of whether the parents are likely to settle or headed toward a contested hearing. The information a judge needs to see does not change based on how contentious the case becomes.
Our work on a custody case includes:
A parent’s day-to-day involvement with a child, school pickups, medical appointments, and coaching a team, carries real weight in a Washington custody case. We help clients document that involvement clearly rather than leaving a judge to take their word for it.
Washington courts decide custody and residential schedules based on the child’s best interests, applying a specific set of factors laid out under RCW 26.09.187. There is no default preference for one parent over the other based on gender, and no formula that hands one parent automatic majority residential time.
The factors a court weighs include the strength and stability of the child’s relationship with each parent, each parent’s history of handling day-to-day parenting responsibilities, the child’s relationships with siblings and community ties, and, where the child is old enough, the child’s wishes.
The statute gives the greatest weight to the relative strength and stability of each parent-child relationship.
| Factors Washington Courts Weigh | What the Court Looks At |
| Strength of parent-child relationship | Which parent has provided consistent day-to-day care |
| Parenting history | Who has handled school, medical, and daily needs |
| Child’s community ties | School, siblings, extended family, activities |
| Child’s preference | Considered when the child is mature enough to express one |
| Parents’ agreements | Weighed if made knowingly and voluntarily |
| Limiting factors under RCW 26.09.191 | Circumstances that restrict a parent’s residential time or decision-making authority |
A parent walking into a custody case with a strong record on paper, not just a strong argument, tends to have the better position once the case reaches a judge. Courts weigh documented history over general claims about who is the better parent.
Parents who cannot agree on a parenting plan proceed to a contested hearing where a Spokane County Superior Court commissioner or judge decides the terms based on the statutory best interest factors. Washington law encourages parents to resolve disputes outside of court first, but a contested case moves forward when agreement is not possible.
Before reaching a contested hearing, most Spokane custody cases go through a required parenting seminar and often mediation. These steps exist to narrow the disagreement before a judge gets involved, and many cases settle at this stage once both parents see the same information laid out plainly.
Where mediation does not resolve the dispute, the case proceeds to a hearing where each parent presents evidence supporting their plan. A commissioner may also appoint a guardian ad litem or parenting evaluator in more contested cases to provide an independent recommendation to the court.
No, Washington law does not give either parent an automatic preference based on gender. Courts apply the same best interest factors under RCW 26.09.187 regardless of which parent is the mother or the father.
Yes, unmarried parents establish a parenting plan through a parentage action, which uses the same best interest standard applied in divorce cases. Paternity may need to be established first if it is not already legally recognized.
Washington law does not set a specific age; a court considers a child’s wishes once the child is mature enough to express a reasoned, independent preference. A young child’s preference typically carries less weight than an older teenager’s.
Yes, an initial custody case establishes a parenting plan for the first time, while a modification case changes an existing plan and requires meeting a separate legal standard. Crouse Erickson handles both, but they follow different procedures.
Washington law primarily uses the term parenting plan rather than custody, though the two terms describe the same underlying legal arrangement. The parenting plan covers residential time and decision-making authority.
Yes, a court may order a schedule with substantially equal residential time when that arrangement serves the child’s best interests. Equal time is not automatic and depends on the specific facts of the case.
A parent who does not follow an entered parenting plan may face a contempt action in Spokane County Superior Court. Repeated violations may also support a modification of the plan.
Washington law limits third-party custody rights, including for grandparents, and these cases follow a different legal framework than a parent-versus-parent custody case. A grandparent considering this route should discuss the specific circumstances with an attorney.
An initial custody case timeline depends on whether the parents reach an agreement or proceed to a contested hearing. An agreed case may resolve in a few months, while a contested case involving evaluations or a guardian ad litem often takes six months to a year.
A parenting plan sets the terms for how a family operates for years, which makes getting the details right at the start worth more than resolving disagreements later.
Crouse Erickson works with Spokane parents to build a case that reflects the real history of who has cared for the child, not just who argues loudest.
Call (509) 624-1380 to speak to our office about establishing your parenting plan. Your consultation with Crouse Erickson is confidential.
