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If you have children and are in the process of a divorce, custody is certain to be a hot topic. The welfare of your children requires that you hire an excellent custody law attorney in Springfield, IL, to help you protect your rights and your children. The law can be complicated and negotiations can be drawn out, but here are 4 terms you need to know as you get started: - Legal custody refers to the right to make important decisions about your child, such as healthcare, education, or religion. Legal custody can be sole, with only one parent making the decision, or joint, where two parents share the decisions. With shared legal custody, agreement is not required, but communication and cooperation will certainly make life easier and keep you from needing to return to court.
- Physical custody refers to who your children will live with. Physical custody can also be joint or sole. Joint physical custody agreements specify how the time living with each parent will be shared. Sole physical custody is when the children primarily live with one parent and spend time with the other parent during visitation. It is possible for a divorced parent to have sole physical custody of their children, but joint legal custody with the other parent for decision making.
- Visitation agreements determine how each parent will spend time with the children. When one parent has sole physical custody, time spent with the other parent is called visitation. Visitation plans can be open-ended, if the parents get along and feel they can be reasonable and respectful, or they can be on a court-determined schedule. The visitation plans might include provisions for supervision, if the safety of the child is in question.
- Child support is the money a court orders a parent to pay monthly towards the financial support of the children. Child support can be mandated for one or both parents. It is separate from custody and cannot be used by one parent as a reason for violating custody agreements.
Divorce is hard for parents and children. Make certain to retain a custody law attorney in Springfield, IL, that you trust to help you develop the plan for caring for your children after the divorce.
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