Get help exercising your right to see your grandchildren from expert grandparents’ rights attorney Kendall Gkikas & Mitchell, LLP.
Unfortunately, sometimes difficult family circumstances result in parents or stepparents unfairly preventing children from spending time with their grandparents. In the state of California, the law does provide for some limited means of remedying this situation. With help from expert grandparents’ rights attorney Kendall Gkikas & Mitchell, LLP, you can exercise your rights under the law and may receive your fair share of time with your grandchildren.
Grandparent Visitation Rights
In general, any grandparent who has a pre-existing bond with a grandchild may file a petition for visitation rights to provide for the continued nurturing and development of a relationship that is in the best interests of the child. There are several situations in which a court will consider granting grandparent visitation rights:
- When a parent has died
- When a stepparent adopts a grandchild
- When married parents are living separately or meet certain other requirements
The court will always balance a grandparent’s right to visitation with the parents’ rights to make decisions for their child, so if both parents oppose visitation it may be difficult to secure visitation rights. Additionally, a grandparent visitation order can be ended at any time upon both parents’ request.
Guardianship & Adoption
If both parents are unfit or unable to have physical custody of a child, the court may appoint another relative such as a grandparent as the child’s legal guardian. Grandparents can also legally adopt their grandchildren, which formally terminates any rights and responsibilities which living parents may have to the children. As a grandparent, there will be many important factors to consider when deciding whether to pursue guardianship or adoption. As your grandparents’ rights attorney, Kendall Gkikas & Mitchell, LLP can help ensure you have all the information needed to make a wise decision and then aggressively fight to help secure the best possible outcome for you and your grandchildren.
Get a Tough but Fair Grandparents’ Rights Attorney on Your Side Now
Thomas Kendall & Kristina Kendall-Gkikas both have over 20 years of experience in all kinds of family law issues, including grandparents’ rights. You can rely on us to protect your rights and your grandchildren’s best interests every step of the way, no matter how complicated your case may be. Call 909-482-1422 now to retain us as your grandparents’ rights attorney.