In a previous blog I discussed the concept of Sole Legal Custody. In this blog I will now discuss the concept of Joint Legal Custody.
I am a divorce lawyer in San Diego, and more times than not, clients do not understand what is meant when the court uses the term Joint Legal Custody. Many clients at my San Diego family law practice do not realize the amount of information that Legal Custody covers.
As previously stated, In San Diego County, Legal Custody is the ability to make decisions about the health, education, and welfare of one’s child. Legal Custody contains the rights to determine where your child goes to school, which school professionals, therapists, and others working with your child.
Now, I will discuss with you what I discuss with my clients about Joint Legal Custody. Joint Legal Custody allows both parents to pay a prominent role in your child’s life. Both parents can be part of the decision making process as it relates to not just educational and medical needs of the child, but also in regards to the extra-curricular activities your child engages in. Joint Legal Custody is not necessarily a right as a parent and it can be taken away by the court.
This brings me to my next point of discussion as it relates to Joint Legal Custody. This is the topic of co-parenting. A detailed discussion of this term will have to wait for a future blog, but a brief discussion of how co-parenting relates to Joint Legal Custody is warranted here. Co-parenting is the ability of both parents to work together to focus on the needs of their child. As I tell my clients in San Diego, when parents do not communicate well with each other, it makes it difficult for them to make decisions that are in their child’s best interests.
I will focus on problems associated with Joint Legal Custody in my next blog.
