Child Custody & Visitation – Grandparent & Non-Biological Parent Visitation
Practice Areas / Child Custody & Visitation / Grandparent & Non-Biological Parent Visitation
New York City Grandparent & Non-Biological Parent Visitation Lawyers
Child Custody Attorney Serving Manhattan, Brooklyn and Other Areas
“The practice of law is an art, not a science.” — Steven J. Mandel
Grandparents and Child Custody
A child who does not get to spend quality time with his or her grandparents is missing out on one of the true joys in life. The bond between grandparent and grandchild may be one filled with love, learning and fun. At The Mandel Law Firm, we stand up for grandmas and grandpas who want to play an active role in their grandkids’ lives. If something or someone is preventing you from seeing your grandchild, we will help you pursue the best possible solution for grandparent & non-biological parent visitation rights.
As a grandparent, you may even be able to obtain custody of your grandchild under certain circumstances. For example, if a parent passes away, leaving his or her child with a surviving parent, child custody can be sought if the surviving parent can be shown to be “unfit” and it would be in the best interest of the child to reside with the grandparents.
Contact us today online or by telephone toll-free at (888) 2 WIN NOW (888-294-6669) or locally at (646) 770-3868 to speak with an experienced New York lawyer about grandparent & non-biological parent visitation.
Standing Up for Grandparents’ Rights
Are your grandparent & non-biological parent visitation rights in jeopardy? At The Mandel Law Firm, we help people who are having trouble maintaining contact with their grandchildren in the wake of the divorce or separation of the grandchild’s parents, or the death of one of the parents. It is important to remember that just because there is turmoil between the parents in a relationship, the grandparents still maintain important rights. In the past, courts have only given parents visitation rights with their children. Now however, the courts are starting to recognize the important role of grandparent & non-biological parent visitation can play in the lives of children of divorced parents.
“The Times They Are a Changing” for Non-Biological Parents
Seeking Custody & Visitation
“The Times They Are a Changing” for Non-Biological Parents Seeking Custody & Visitation
The longstanding law in New York was that a person had to show either a biological or adoptive relationship with the child to be legally recognized as parent.
Fairly recently, the high court of New York expanded the definition of who is a parent by deciding that a former spouse in a same-sex marriage (or even a non-marital relationship) may have the right to seek visitation and custody of children, even if they aren’t the biological or adoptive parent.
In two separate cases involving unmarried same-sex couples, the biological mothers kept the children and their ex-partners sought legal standing to see them. In one case, a lower court ruled that the ex-partner could not be recognized as a “parent” under the existing law and she therefore was no longer allowed to see the child she loved and nurtured for many years. In another similar case, the court decided that since the ex-partner had been paying child support, she was a “parent” and was therefore granted visitation with the child.
These two somewhat divergent decisions made their way through the court system. Finally, the New York State Court of Appeals recognized that the standard of who is a parent had become “unworkable” in light of society’s “increasingly varied familial relationships.”
The courts today have decided that where a partner shows by clear and convincing evidence that the parties agreed to conceive a child and to raise the child together, the non-biological, non-adoptive partner has standing to seek visitation and even custody under the law.
As you can see, this area of law is nuanced and fast evolving. Every lawyer may know the law, but you need a lawyer who knows how to make these complex laws work, for you.
Maintaining the relationship with Grandchildren & Non-Biological children
Our attorneys help grandparents & non-biological parents from New York City, Long Island, Westchester County and throughout the New York metropolitan area recognize and assert their rights as they pertain to child custody and visitation issues. If you feel that your rights are being denied, we can help you explore your legal options, and if necessary, petition the state for grandparent & non-biological parent visitation rights.
Maintaining the relationship with Grandchildren & Non-Biological children
Our attorneys help grandparents & non-biological parents from New York City, Long Island, Westchester County and throughout the New York metropolitan area recognize and assert their rights as they pertain to child custody and visitation issues. If you feel that your rights are being denied, we can help you explore your legal options, and if necessary, petition the state for grandparent & non-biological parent visitation rights.
Schedule Your Consultation Today With a Grandparents’ Rights Lawyer in New York City
We can help you explore your legal options and pursue the visitation rights you and your grandchildren deserve. Contact us online, or by telephone toll-free at (888) 2 WIN NOW (888-294-6669) or locally at (646) 770-3868 to speak with an experienced lawyer about grandparent & non-biological parent visitation.
Are you a Grandparent or Non-Biological Parent that Needs Counsel or Help to File for Child Custody & Visitation in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx or Long Island? Contact Us Today
To learn more about obtaining Grandparent & Non-Biological Parent Custody & Visitation in New York, contact us online or by calling toll free at (888) 2 WIN NOW (888-294-6669) or locally at (646) 770-3868.