Joint legal custody is a type of custody. Custody is the term that refers to the care, maintenance and control of a child. Joint custody is often referred to as shared custody. Although it means different things in different states, provinces and countries, joint custody is the joint caretakership of the child or children in the now defunct relationship. Legal custody provides the parent or individual with the right to make various decisions about the child or children's upbringing. Legal custody allows the individual or individuals to decide what school or church the child or children may attend. Joint legal custody, therefore, is a type of custody in which both parents have the right to make decisions on the child's behalf in these matters. Joint legal custody differs from other types of custodial arrangements in this theoretical agreement that both parties have the right to make important decisions on these aspects of child rearing.