The court may award joint or sole legal custody, and there is no presumption as to the form of legal custody. The court may also order frequent and continuing contact between each party and the child. The court's order shall be based on the best interests of the child. In determining the best interests of the child, the court shall consider the wishes of the parents, the wishes of the child, the interaction and interrelationship among all family members, the child's adjustment to home, school, and community, the mental and physical health of all parties, the capacity of the parties to communicate, potential disruption to the child, the demands of parental employment, the age and number of children, the sincerity of each parent's request, the parent's financial ability to support the custody arrangement, the impact of government assistance, the benefit to the parents, evidence of intrafamily offense. The guidelines are a hybrid model, sharing aspects of both the income shares and percentage of income model.
Award is based on parties' gross incomes, with a self-support reserve for each parent.
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