Ex Bucks County, Pennsylvania assistant district attorney An attorney licensed and practicing in Pennsylvania and New Jersey since 1991, Carla Risoldi has over three decades of experience in law. In 1994, Carla Risoldi founded the Langhorne, Pennsylvania-based Risoldi Law Offices, LLC. She serves the community by providing legal counsel in family law areas such as child support, divorce, spousal support, and child custody.
Child custody is the legal term used to refer to parental rights and responsibilities related to caring for a child. Child custody arises in cases of divorce, separation, or the death of both parents. There are different technical names for the various types of child custody, one such distinction being between legal and physical custody. Within them there are distinctions such as primary physical custody, partial physical custody, supervised visitation and the like. Legal custody determines which parent has the right to make important decisions in the child’s life, such as education, non-emergency medical treatment, and religious upbringing. Physical custody is almost always shared. On the other hand, physical custody determines the child’s primary residence and the custody schedule.
While many custody cases are determined in court by judge or through a court procedure such as with a court representative such as a conference officer or “custody master” , mediation is an alternative dispute resolution method that helps parents reach an agreement on child custody without going through a traditional court process. Unlike in court, where a judge makes the ultimate custody decisions, a mediator uses their skills and knowledge to facilitate an agreed arrangement between both parents. Below are some of the important advantages of using mediation in child custody cases:
1. Less conflict; Mediation has been shown to have a reduced impact of parental conflict on children.
2. High participation rate; Mediation Increases parents’ participation as they get to decide the terms of the agreement.
3. Time and money saving; Mediation saves on time and money as compared to having your case decided in local family courts.
4. Confidentiality; Mediation also offers a high level of confidentiality as mediators and parties involved cannot discuss issues raised with other members, unlike in court proceedings whereas court proceedings and filings may be open to the public. However, if the agreement reached through mediation is reduced to a final custody order submitted to and signed by a judge, that order is a public record.
If you are in the midst of a custody dispute or one is in the near future, consider contacting a custody mediator such as Carla Risoldi at samaggikaranam divorce & custody mediation, llc at 215-741-1011 or at contact@sam-mediation.com.
About Carla Risoldi 