The court will evaluate a number of considerations when determining what arrangement of parental rights and responsibilities would most benefit a child in cases of divorce. Decisions the judge presiding over your case will make include which parent the child will reside with (physical custody), as well as who will be more responsible for making key decisions about raising the child (legal custody).
Though in some cases a judge might award sole physical or legal custody (or both) to one parent, New Jersey courts are required to assume that both parents have an equal interest in being involved in their child’s life, and the child in turn can benefit from consistent interaction with both parents.
If a judge believes this standard applies to your family’s situation, you and your spouse might be required to share joint custody after the marriage ends. Joint custody means you and your child’s other parent share physical and/or legal custody.
Details of this arrangement could include a schedule for when the child lives with each parent, as well as decision-making responsibilities involving the child’s:
- Medical care
- Education
- Activities outside of school
- Religious upbringing
- Travel outside of the state or country where the parent with legal custody resides
If you’re facing divorce and you’d like to begin building a case to obtain a favorable child custody arrangement, please contact the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone, P.C., or call 201-963-6000 today to schedule a review of your case. Mr. Carbone serves clients in or around Newark, New Jersey.