Answering Questions About Child Custody
In Maryland, there are differences between shared or joint legal custody, and shared physical or residential custody. There may be times when one form of custody is more appropriate than another form. Determining which type of custody is best for your situation may be difficult for you and your family without the help of an attorney.
As a child custody dispute attorney in Columbia, MD, Dwight W. Clark can help your family work through your custody issues. Together we can minimize the emotional and financial impact that a child custody dispute can have on your family.
What Are The Different Types Of Custody?
Each type of child custody is unique and depends on your situation you may wish to seek:
- Legal custody is given to an individual who can make long-range plans for the child regarding their education, religious training, discipline and medical care.
- Joint legal custody means that both parents will have an equal voice in making legal custody decisions.
- Physical custody refers to the person who lives with the child on a day-to-day basis and can make decisions regarding the child’s daily needs.
- Shared physical custody allows each parent to have physical custody of the child for approximately half of the time. Arrangements may involve the child spending half the week with one parent, and half the week with the other or spending summer and winter vacations with one parent and the school year with the other.
Which Type Of Custody Is Right For Me?
Following your divorce, the court considers many factors to determine which type of custody is right for your family.
Shared physical and legal custody arrangements are appropriate when both parties can agree to communicate regarding the decisions surrounding the child’s welfare and well-being. These arrangements may or may not affect child support payments Some of these decisions may involve questions such as:
- Where is the child going to school?
- What religious instruction should the child receive?
- What types of medical treatments should the child receive?
- How should the child be disciplined?
- What after school activities should the child attend?
How Can An Attorney Help?
Child custody dispute attorney Dwight W. Clark can help you sort through these decisions. He works with your family to work out situation-specific and flexible solutions. Contact the Law Offices of Dwight W. Clark, LLC in Howard County to schedule a consultation with a divorce lawyer and learn more on how our child custody dispute experience can help your family.