When it comes to Los Angeles family law there are many different types of custody used in family court. It is important for parents to educate themselves on the different types of child custody in family court. There are two main categories of child custody law: Legal custody and physical custody. When visiting a Los Angeles family lawyer parents can discuss an optimal custody agreement for their particular situation.

Legal custody is the legal authority of the primary parent to provide major decisions for the child, while physical custody is where the child will physically stay or reside. In addition, there are different sub categories of these different types of custodies. The type of custody is determined by several different things including the quality of the relationship between the child and each parent, the mental and physical health of each parent, the ability of each parent to provide a stable environment, and the child"s wishes if he or she is old enough.

Sole legal custody, also referred to as full custody, is when the primary parent is granted with 90% of the child"s time. This parent will make the final decisions regarding the child"s health, education, care, religion and residence. The other parent is usually granted visitation rights but will not make any of these major decisions. Sole physical custody refers to where the child where reside. When a parent has sole physical custody, the child will live with him or her while the other parent is granted limited visitation rights.

Joint legal custody occurs when both parents have an equal right in making major decisions on behalf of their child. It is possible for both the parents to have legal joint custody without having joint physical custody. Joint physical custody is also known as "shared custody" and occurs when the child resides with both parents on an equal time agreement.

Bird"s nest custody is not used very often. It occurs when the child lives in a single location and both parents are granted equal rights for a rotating residential schedule. The kids stay in the same place while the parents take turns living at the location. This arrangement is often very costly because the parents often have to maintain another home away from the shared home. Temporary custody is the grant of a parent to temporarily have the custody rights during the litigation of the divorce trial. This is determined by the court and is usually used during the divorce proceedings.

Overall, Los Angeles family lawyers will recommend the custody arrangement that would be best for all involved. When it comes to a divorce attorney Pasadena residents must make sure that they are comfortable discussing their personal lives with the lawyer. A trustworthy divorce lawyer can make this difficult process go by much smoother!