Physical vs. Legal Custody in Tampa, FL

Protect Your Parental Rights

While legal and physical custody are often closely connected, they may be unevenly divided between parents for a child's benefit. To determine the best plan for your situation, contact a Tampa child custody attorney from the Law Offices of Manuel Fajardo. Our attorney has over 24 years of experience in family law and can provide the legal counsel needed to reach a beneficial agreement.

Responsibilities Under Legal Custody

A parent who maintains legal custody of their child maintains the right to make important choices affecting the child.

In many cases, a joint custody agreement requires both parents to make these decisions together; however, the court may distribute this responsibility unevenly between the parents. Each parent may be given responsibility for certain decisions, or one parent may be given the ability to make all important decisions.

Dividing Legal and Physical Custody

Physical custody is defined as the time a child spends with a parent. As with legal custody, physical custody is determined in a child's best interest. Both parents may share joint custody, or a time-sharing schedule may heavily favor one parent. A plan can be divided in whatever way seems most beneficial for a child.

Although physical custody determines where a child lives, it does not always indicate how legal responsibilities will be shared. Legal custody arrangements often match the child's living situation, but these do not necessarily affect one another. Parents may decide to divide their legal responsibilities unevenly, or the court may rule in favor of one parent making most or all major decisions. The ruling will be based on a parent's capability to care for their child.

Contact a Tampa Child Custody Attorney

The Law Offices of Manuel Fajardo is ready to help you make the most of your rights as a parent. Contact our firm to begin working with a seasoned legal professional who can help you reach your goals in family law case. Our child custody attorney in Tampa can provide personalized legal counsel for a wide variety of situations.