Hiring a grandparents rights attorney in Walnut CA can help you preserve your relationship with your grandkids.
People often joke about grandparents existing to spoil their grandkids, but the reality is that the love and affection provided by a grandparent can be a necessity for a child, not a luxury. Fortunately for California grandparents, state law does provide some limited options for ensuring access to grandchildren and the continuation of emotional bonds through visitation orders. If you need advice regarding your rights and the legal means for protecting them, Kendall & Gkikas can help by serving as your grandparents rights attorney in Walnut CA.
Who Can Get Grandparents Rights?
First and foremost, a grandparent must prove that they already have a strong bond with their grandchild in order to have any hope of securing visitation rights, even with the help of a grandparents rights lawyer in Walnut CA. If the court agrees that maintaining this bond through regular contact is in the best interests of the child, they will then consider giving you legal rights to visitation. Some scenarios in which visitation might be awarded include:
- One of the child’s parents has died
- The child’s parents are living separately
- The child doesn’t live with either parent
- The child has been adopted by a stepparent
If you can convince one of the child’s parents that the child needs to maintain a relationship with you, this will really help your case. Your grandparents rights lawyer in Walnut CA can help you set up the paperwork so that this parent can join your petition for visitation.
Resolving Grandparents Rights Disputes Out of Court
At Kendall & Gkikas, we try to keep family law disputes out of the courtroom whenever possible. Not only does this save you money on legal fees, it also helps to secure a much faster resolution to the issue. Perhaps most importantly, you may be able to enjoy more access to your grandkids than a court would allow if you reach an amicable agreement with the child’s parents on your own. As your Walnut CA grandparents rights attorney, we can assist with this process, briefing you on your rights and then helping get any agreements that may be reached signed by a judge.
Filing a Petition for Visitation Rights
In some cases, mediation may be unsuccessful and you will need to take your dispute to court. Grandparents rights cases are still somewhat rare, and most courts don’t make it easy on you to file a petition. You will need a Walnut CA grandparents rights lawyer for this activity. At Kendall & Gkikas, we have over 20 years of experience in family law and we can help you through every step of this process, from filing papers to open a case to serving them on the parents to drafting the actual petition for visitation rights.
Advice You Can Trust from a Walnut CA Grandparents Rights Lawyer Who Cares
At Kendall & Gkikas, we truly care about the well-being of our clients’ children and grandchildren. As your Walnut CA grandparents rights lawyer, we will do everything in our power to ensure your grandchildren get the care and affection they need, whether that be helping you to petition for visitation, guardianship, or adoption. Call our law offices today to set up your first appointment.
