Custody in a Bucks County divorce is a great concern for both parents.  Child custody is perhaps the most emotionally difficult aspect of divorce.  The details can be extremely important and frequently burdensome to get through.  From weekends, vacations, transportation, religious decisions, and education/health decisions, custody can be very challenging to navigate.

There are two forms of custody: Physical custody and legal custody.  Parents may seek custody through the Bucks County courts or by agreement of the parties.  Custody includes both physical and legal ramifications of these arrangements.  Your custody should set forth the specific schedule between both parents including holiday and vacation schedules, requirements as to travel, how to communicate when the children are not in your custody, who may be with your children if you are unavailable and other aspects of Bucks County child custody.

Physical Custody (Primary, Partial, Shared, Sole and Supervised)

Physical Custody simply involves with whom the child physically resides or is with at a certain time. Physical custody is often further categorized as primary physical custody, Partial physical custody, shared physical custody, sole physical or supervised physical custody. The terms are applied depending on the amount of time spent with each parent including overnight time. What had been called “visitation” is now called supervised physical custody. The term “joint custody” is no longer used.

Legal Custody

Legal Custody involves the ability of each parent to make important decisions in their child’s life. Legal Custody spans issues related to: education, medical care, extra curricular activities and religion. Legal Custody is either sole or shared.

Best Interest of the Child

In Pennsylvania, the standard for reviewing child custody petitions or modifications has been “the best interest of the child.” When dealing with custody issues the most important concern is the welfare of the child involved. Keep in mind, that generally, the child will benefit from having both parents involved in their lives. In light of this, we always seek to resolve matters in the most reasonable manner possible.

Accordingly, we strive to conduct meaningful settlement discussions and negotiation with the opposing party and their counsel. At the same time, if your matter requires that we take a tough stance on a certain issue, or if we are forced to litigate some of your claims, we will fight hard for your best interests, while keeping the big picture in mind.