When most prospective Cordell & Cordell clients come in for a consultation, they know what kind of physical custody they are looking to enjoy with their children. Many though do not realize that physical custody is not the only form of custody and that legal custody is also very important.
Cordell & Cordell co-founder Joseph Cordell explores the multiple meanings of custody in his latest Huffington Post column.
The significance of legal custody is that the non-custodial parent — which is the father 83% of the time — cannot be cut out of the decision-making process regarding any major issues involving the children.
In the absence of primary physical custody, joint legal custody becomes an important mechanism to prevent Mom from reducing Dad to a child support provider and occasional weekend babysitter.
Read Mr. Cordell’s full Huffington Post article, “The Multiple Meanings Of Custody.”
Written by Joseph E. Cordell
Joseph E. Cordell is the Principal Partner at Cordell and Cordell, P.C., which he founded in 1990 with his wife, Yvonne. Over the past 25 years, the firm has grown to include more than 100 offices in 30 states, as well as internationally in the United Kingdom. Mr. Cordell is licensed to practice in the states of Illinois and Missouri and received his LL.M. from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Joseph E. Cordell was named one of the Top 10 Best Family Law Attorneys for Client Satisfaction in Missouri.
