What Are The Child Custody Laws In Maryland Montgomery Lawyer

When parents get divorced or separated, the court decides whom gets custody of the child. The court of Maryland does not favor either mother or father, but considers what’s in the best interest of the child for custody and visitation. Relatives of the child such as grandparents may also seek custody, but the court priorities the parents of the child. Nevertheless, custody orders are not permanent and can be altered as circumstances may vary.

Temporary custody in Maryland: A parent may need to file for temporary juvenile guardianship of his or her child during the period of the divorce process, this is not a long-lasting order, but until the divorce process is done and the court decides guardianship in the best interest of the minor.

Legal and physical custody in Maryland: legal care consists of the right of the parent to make lasting plans and decisions regarding the child’s schooling, religious matter, medical care and other important decisions about the juvenile’s well being. On the other hand, physical care includes living with the minor and decisions regarding the daily needs of the minor.

Sole custody in Maryland: one parent may be awarded sole legal care or sole physical care or both if the other parent is unfit to be the custodial parent of the minor.

Split custody in Maryland: the parents split the guardianship of the children. For instance, if there are 4 children, each parent gains complete physical care of two children. Factors affecting the guardianship order includes the children’s age and their wishes and preference.

Joint custody in Maryland: these include joint legal care, joint physical care, and combination.

• Joint legal care is when the parents have to come up with mutual agreements regarding the juvenile’s welfare. Both the parents make decisions concerning the juvenile’s upbringing, education and other major decisions in the juvenile’s life.
• Shared physical care is when both parents have an equal amount of time with their child. The child will have two residences.

The court of the state of Maryland will rule in the best interest of the child, for the court to determine that the court looks at some factors regarding the child and his or her caretakers.

These factors may include the following:

• The age of each caretaker.
• The age of the minor.
• Main caregiver of the minor. The caretaker who has taken the most care of the minor, for instance, the caretaker who feeds the minor, shops for the minor, bathes the minor, and whom the minor goes to when he or she is hurt.
• The mental and physical capability and states of the caretakers who are seeking guardianship of the minor.
• The juvenile’s mental and physical conditions.
• The personality and reputation of each caretaker.
• The capability of each caretaker to provide and maintain a healthy family.
• The juvenile’s preference and desires for whom he or she would like to reside with.
• Each caretakers financial stability and resourcefulness to provide for the juvenile’s well being.
• Any past charges for physical or sexual abuse or.

Nevertheless, the caretakers are free to agree on guardianship matters, regarding physical and legal care.

If you need a Maryland child custody lawyer to help you with your juvenile guardianship case in Maryland, call us at 888-437-7747. Our Maryland child custody attorneys can help you. C