Difference Between Legal Custody and Legal Guardianship

The term “child custody” is often used in a general sense, but there are two types – physical and legal. Having physical custody of a minor means you have control over them during a defined period of time. In a divorce, custody of children is broken down into two elements: legal and physical. It’s not unusual for legal and physical custody to be set up differently. For example, parents might have joint legal custody, but not joint physical custody, especially if the parents live some distance apart.