Joint Custody

Joint custody is an arrangement where both parents share physical and/or legal rights. The children will live in both houses and parents will need to work together to make decisions about how the children will be raised, such as where they will live, what school they will attend, medical decisions, or religious affiliation.

Although families can work out solutions that work best for their situation, the most common arrangement for joint custody is where the children spend one week with one parent, then the next week with the other.

It’s common for one parent to be awarded sole physical custody and joint legal custody with their co-parent. This is the case when the children live with one parent full time and have visitation with the other parent. Even though the child lives full time with one parent, both parents will have to work together to make decisions on behalf of the child. A Maryland child custody attorney can offer more guidance about the different arrangements available.