Just when it appeared that the custody battle between Britney Spears and Kevin Federline was headed to trial next month, the parties have reportedly settled their differences. Federline’s longtime attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan advised the media that a very detailed settlement memo has been signed by both Spears and Federline. They are due in court this morning to ask Commissioner Scott Gordon to approve the deal.

The agreement gives Federline sole legal and physical custody of the former couple’s two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James. Spears will continue to have substantial visitation with the children. Sole legal custody will give K-Fed final decision-making authority over any important child-rearing decision – including educational, religious and medical choices.

A different Los Angeles County judge is scheduled to review the conservatorship which Spears’ father had put in place earlier this year to stabilize her life and financial affairs later this month. It seems unlikely that Gordon would have granted Spears any degree of legal custody over her boys unless and until she is deemed mentally fit enough to have some legal control over herself (i.e. the discontinuation of the conservatorship). Kaplan indicated that the agreement deals with how to handle custody in the event that the conservatorship is ended. He also noted that, while this agreement allows the parties to avoid trial and end the two year battle over the boys, custody is always modifiable in the future if circumstances change.