Legal versus Physical Custody
Custody cases have different terms that can be difficult to understand. Most people think of custody as the right to parent their children. After all, what else is there? It turns out it isn’t that simple. A custody order will address both legal and physical custody.
What is Legal Custody?
Legal custody is the right to have input in the important decisions in your child’s life. These include things like what school your child attends, the medical treatment that they receive, their religious education, and their extracurricular activities. Legal custody is either joint or sole.
If you have joint legal custody, the parents must consult before making any major decisions for the child. It is often a good idea to make sure that one parent or the other has final decision-making authority for certain types of decisions. If you and the child’s other parent are unable to agree after you’ve