While most people think of custody as all encompassing, from a legal perspective custody is divided into two parts, Legal Custody & Physical Custody.

Legal custody refers to the custody right that permits a person to make major decisions regarding the child in all areas of his or her life, including medical care, religion and education. Joint legal custody between two persons means that both parties have equal right and obligation to make these major decisions for their child.

Physical custody relates to who is responsible for the physical care and supervision of the child. In most cases a child has one physical custodian, however, there are cases where a judge may order that the parties share joint physical custody split time equally with the child.

Your lawyer needs to have the experience to know what issues need to be raised in each case, where they are properly raised, and how to tackle the difficult strategic decisions that are involved in prosecuting or defending a custody case.  Often these issues are addressed in either Family Court or Supreme Court, depending upon a variety of factors.

Often complex jurisdictional issues or relocation issues arise that only the most seasoned of Family Law attorneys can navigate effectively.

Our office assists clients with all aspects of custody proceedings, including legal and physical custody issues and relocation issues, in both Family Court and Supreme Court.

If you need help securing or maintaining custody, contact us, we can help.