Child custody in New York has two parts, legal custody and physical custody.
The parent who has physical custody of the child is the one who provides a safe and stable home environment where the child resides.
The parent who has legal custody is responsible for making significant life decisions for the minor child, like which schools he will attend, what faith (if any) he will be raised in, and major medical decisions.
New York allows tremendous flexibility in the ways that families structure custody agreements.
In the best case, both parents work as a team to raise their children, sharing the custody roles along agreed upon lines. In other cases, it may be in the best interest of the child to have minimal or supervised visits with a parent who has a history of abuse or addiction.
The lawyers at Friedman & Ranzenhofer have helped many Rochester families negotiate or modify custody agreements to fit their changing lives. Call us today at 585-484-7432.