East St. Louis Child Custody

Parents often want what’s best for their children. Therefore, in a divorce or other split involving children, it’s common for there to be nasty custody battles. 

You need to keep in mind, though, that Missouri leans toward joint custody, as do many other states. Joint custody is often determined to be in the best interest of the child. If the parents are unable to agree on a parenting plan, the court will choose one parent as the “residential parent” for school and mail purposes. The court also decides the role of each parent in terms of child custody and visitation. 

Sole custody can be awarded in extreme cases. What are your goals? Are there special circumstances involved, such as domestic violence, child abuse, or neglect? If so, seek legal help right away. The team at Raza Family Law Solutions can help you handle these difficult matters with ease. 

Types of Child Custody

There are two main types of child custody: physical and legal. Physical custody refers to which parent the child stays with most of the time. Legal custody refers to which parent makes the decisions for the child in terms of important matters, such as education, medical care, and religion. 

In Missouri, child custody arrangements may fall under one of five categories:

• Joint physical and legal custody. This is when both parents share physical and legal custody of the child. They have the child in their care almost half of the time and work together to make decisions for the child.
• Joint legal custody with sole physical custody. This means that one parent has the child in their physical care, but both parents work together to make decisions for the child.
• Joint physical custody with sole legal custody. This is the opposite; one parent makes all the decisions for the child but both parents have the child in their physical custody for a good portion of the time. 
• Sole custody. This refers to both legal and physical custody by one parent. This is only done in extreme cases, such as incarceration, abuse, or neglect by one parent.
• Third party visitation or custody. This is when neither parent has physical or legal custody of the child. Instead, a third party, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, or other family members, have custody of the child. This is done when the parents are not capable of caring for the child or want to terminate their parental rights because they have no desire to care for the child. 

Contact an East St. Louis Child Custody Lawyer Today

In the event of a divorce, child custody can be a major issue. What the parents decide will affect the child’s future.

At Raza Family Law Solutions, our child custody lawyers are compassionate and focused on helping you find solutions. We bring extensive experience in mediation, so we focus on cooperative and collaborative solutions whenever possible. Schedule a consultation with East St. Louis child custody lawyer today by calling (314) 314-5505 or filling out the online form.