In a joint legal custody arrangement, the children live primarily with one parent and the parent who doesn’t have the children has visitation or parenting time. Both parents are able to work together in making decisions involving the children. If an agreement cannot be reached in decisions involving the children, the parent who has custody of the children will decide. Before the Court will approve joint legal custody, both parties will have to testify that they are able to cooperate with each other for the children’s educational, medical and religious needs. Without that testimony, the Court will not enter an order for joint legal custody.

:( My ex husnamd and I were never asked if we could cooperate in joint decisions. Since the divorce he has made the children life a living hell by challenging everything I do as the custodial parent telling them I am abusive to ground them and I starve them if they cannot have what they want to eat and have to eat what is served. So the definition you gave of joint legal is not accurate as he has done what he pleases and knows we cannot afford an attorney to make him cooperate or step aside and allow us to raise the children without conflict.

Well, considering that the post is almost 3 years old and law changes considerably in that time, you may be right.

Why don't we just keep it to the new threads so that we are all on the same page?