Southeastern, PA area lawyer describes the two types of custody: legal and physical

In Southeastern, PA, the family courts make the decision in regards to custody of a child from a marriage that is ending. While parents may both feel as though they are fit and proper to care for the child’s needs, a judge arranges custody based on past and present evidence. If you have been served papers from your wife or husband in regards to child custody, it is important to fully understand what is at stake and how a qualified, experienced lawyer such as Attorney Jack Rounick can help.

Custody is determined in the courts:

Legal Custody

Legal custody provides one or more individuals the right to make decisions involved in a child's upbringing. For example, parents with shared, joint legal custody share in the decision-making process when it comes to considerations such as religious upbringing, medical care and treatment, and educational needs. In most situations, joint legal custody is granted. However, unique cases may give one parent sole legal custody, allowing them to make these decisions without the input of the other parent.

Physical Custody

Physical custody determines the primary person the child will live with. If a child spends significant time with both parents and has a close bond with each of them, the children may benefit from shared physical custody. This often works when parents have had a history of working together for the child’s best interest, and typically works best when parents live relatively close to each other. This allows a child to maintain a routine while staying in his or her existing school system and community. If it is decided that one parent will have the child live in their home while the other parent is awarded partial physical custody, this is called primary, or sole, physical custody for the parent the child lives with. Shared physical custody is often set forth as supervised or unsupervised custody. The law now sets forth five types of physical custody: shared, primary, partial, sole or supervised. Legal custody is set forth as shared or sole.

Attorney Jack Rounick of Norristown, PA is an attorney who can assist parents in obtaining legal and physical custody of their child(ren). If you are considering quality representation in the courts to protect your rights with your child, contact the Law Offices of Jack A. Rounick, LLC today to schedule a visit and find out where you stand in your child custody case.

Back to Custody Home Page