When making a custody arrangement, what’s best for the child or children obviously needs to be considered. Because of that, there is usually a particular type of custody arrangement that is most common. Unless there are good reasons not to ensure that both parents are in the child’s life, the final arrangement should give you and your ex a role in your children’s upbringing. A Tazewell County child custody lawyer can help you negotiate the specifics.
What is the Court’s Top Priority When Deciding a Custody Arrangement?
The top priority for the court is always going to be the best interests of the children. You can make any other argument you want for a particular custody arrangement, but if you struggle to show that the desired arrangement is good for the kids, it’s going to be a hard sell.
In most cases, the court wants to ensure that the children develop a relationship with both parents. This means that the judge is probably going to decide on a custody arrangement that involves both parents.
What is the Most Common Type of Custody Arrangement?
Joint legal custody involves both parents, giving them both the chance to weigh in on the most important parenting decisions. Both parents have to work together to co-parent and address issues like medical treatments and where a child goes to school. This keeps both parents involved in the child’s life.
In situations where one parent can’t or won’t make decisions like this for their child, one parent could end up receiving sole legal custody. That would give them all of the power on issues like healthcare or what religion the child is raised in. Again, the court tends to think that a relationship with both parents is in the best interest of the child. So if they are granting sole legal custody, it’s usually for good reason.
Are Legal and Physical Custody the Same?
Now physical custody is different. Both parents can have physical custody, but the child may spend more time at one parent’s home than the other. That parent would be the custodial parent. This is a common arrangement where the child spends most of their time with one parent and certain days, like every other weekend or certain weekdays and holidays, with the other parent. This gives children the opportunity to have a good relationship with both parents.
Contact Our Law Firm
When you are going through a child custody battle, you should have someone by your side who’s ready to fight for the interests of you and your kids. Contact Butler, Giraudo & Meister, P.C. to schedule a consultation with our team. We can tell you more about what our lawyers can do to be of assistance.
