Divorces involve many decisions for a couple. Before they go their separate ways, they have to talk about many issues that pertain to their marriage and can affect the rest of their lives. These issues can involve children. Parents want to get time with their children and do not want to have a strained relationship. When couples have to co-parent after divorce, they will have to make child custody arrangements. These arrangements can be made in court or during mediation. When someone is given physical custody of a child, this gives them the role of custodial parent after divorce. The custodial parent tends to the everyday needs of the child since the child will reside with them in their home. This may give them more time with the child on a daily basis. However, the other parent may still be able to spend time with their child fairly often.
Physical and legal custody are both aspects of a child custody arrangement that need to be decided on during the divorce process. These aspects decide how much power a parent has over the child’s life and how much time they spend with the child. While physical custody refers to which parent the child will live with, legal custody refers to the parent that in charge of making big decisions for the child’s life. Legal custody gives a parent the authority to make important decisions in a child’s life regarding many different aspects of their life. These decisions can involve matters of health, education, religion and the general welfare of the child. A parent may not be able to gain physical custody, but can still be able to obtain legal custody.
Can I have legal custody without being the custodial parent?
Although parents may not be given the role of custodial parent, they are still able to gain legal custody. This gives them the opportunity to be involved in the child’s life. By making big decisions for the child, they can be fully involved in their life. With legal custody, they are given the right to decide on important matters in their child’s life that can greatly affect them. If you need a change in the custody arrangement in the future, you may be able to have them modified. This can be useful since situations can have a change in circumstances that can affect the arrangement.
If you require strong legal representation for matters of divorce and family law in New Jersey, contact The Law Offices of Paone, Zaleski & Murphy to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys today.
