It is important to familiarize yourself with your state`s child custody laws when you divorce. Michigan`s child custody laws may be slightly different from those in other U.S. states. Child custody cases may be decided differently depending on the child custody law in that state, so it is essential to understand these laws in advance, so that there are no surprises in court. If the parents cannot agree on a custody regime, the court will hold a trial. During the hearing, each party may provide evidence as to why its proposed custody plan is in the best interests of the child. The court may adopt the custody regime proposed by a party or order any custody regime that it considers to be the best interests of the child. An education plan, commonly referred to as an education agreement, is an agreement between the parents, signed by the judge, which provides for the time each parent gets time with the child. It is important that a standard parenting plan falls in case of disagreement. Education time is the time spent by the parent (the parent who does not have the child with him) with the child. For more information, see the parental leave guideline.

The court order indicates who has custody and who has an education time. Legal custody means the right to make important decisions about a child`s education. This includes making decisions about the medical care of the child, school, religion and other things. A parent with sole custody makes the decisions on his or her own. Parents with shared custody make these decisions together. Physical custody means who the child lives with. The court may grant joint physical custody, i.e. the child lives with each parent for a period of time. Or the court may grant exclusive physical custody, i.e. the child lives with only one parent. If one parent has sole physical custody, the other parent normally has an education time (visit). If parents are able to agree on child custody and visitation rules, the courts will approve the plan as long as it supports the best interests of the child.

Otherwise, the court will make this decision: if a parent wishes to transfer the child`s home more than 100 miles from where the child resided when the custody dispute was filed, the 100-mile rule requires that the parent be required to obtain the consent of the court first.