Baltimore County Family Law Attorney Blog

As you go through the child custody process, there are a few terms with which you need to become familiar. Having a knowledge and understanding of these basic terms will go a long way toward helping you understand the overall process in general.

While these terms are more commonly used in child custody cases, they are not meant to be a complete list of the possible terms that may be used in your specific case. If you have questions or need additional help understanding certain terms, do not hesitate to contact your child custody attorney right away.

Child Custody: The Terms You Need to Know

Primary Physical Custody 

• Primary physical custody exists if you have more than 237 overnights.  
• The parent without primary physical custody has less than 128 overnights. 
• The parent with primary physical custody is usually the residential custodian for school district purposes.

Legal Custody

This type of custody refers to a parent’s ability to make decisions with respect to a number of important aspects of the child’s life, including those related to the child’s education and health. Unless a parent displays an inability to make legal decisions related to the child (or if domestic violence issues are involved), both parents will typically share legal custody, no matter who has physical custody of the child.

Physical Custody

Physical custody refers to who will have actual physical care of the child. Parents should note that it is possible to have both physical and legal custody of the child (and it is also possible for a parent to have legal custody and visitation).

Temporary Custody

Anyone going through the child custody process probably already knows that the issues can take a while to resolve. That being the case, courts almost always grant temporary custody of a child to one of the parents in order to ensure the child is appropriately cared for while the case moves forward.

Of course, the decision is only meant to be a temporary solution until the court makes its actual custody determination. It should be noted, however, that the court may place great importance on who was granted temporary custody prior to making its final decision, as doing so will help to avoid disturbing the child’s life and day-to-day routine.

Call (410) 321-4994 For a Free Consultation 

Call The Law Offices of Amar S. Weisman at (410) 321-4994 to schedule a Free Consultation. The Purpose of the consultation is to determine whether you want to retain this law firm as your Baltimore County & Harford County Family Lawyer. If you do wish to proceed, then you must pay a retainer. See Our Policy on Fees and Costs. The family firm is located next to The Circuit Court for Baltimore County, at 1018 Dulaney Valley Road, Towson, MD 21204.