When your own children have left the nest and have started families of their own, you no doubt treasure building relationships with your grandchildren. When a divorce threatens to interrupt this familial connection, the court might grant you visitation rights. If you are in that situation, the Law Offices of Randy S. Margulis is ready to take the legal steps necessary to help you maintain your bond with your grandchildren.
A family court may grant you visitation with your biological or adoptive grandchildren if it finds, after a hearing, that it is in their best interests and that any of the following is true:
Your right to obtain court-ordered visitation doesn’t necessarily end even if your grandchildren are adopted into another family to which you are not related. If you qualify for continued visitation, we will work diligently to secure the recognition and enforcement of those rights in family court.
Because the family court is required to consider the best interests of children first and foremost, it will not necessarily rule in your favor because you meet one of the basic requirements. The court must also consider these factors:
When we ask the court to vindicate grandparents’ rights, we make sure to cover all of these factors and to present all available evidence and legal arguments in favor of granting visitation.
The burden is on grandparents to prove that the family court should grant them visitation. You are better equipped to do this with the aid of an experienced family law attorney. If at least one of the grandchildren’s parents objects to visitation, you may expect them to be represented by their own attorney who will present evidence and legal arguments as to why visitation is not in the child’s best interest. Our focus on family law and determination will substantially improve your chances of success over this opposition, while we treat you with the compassion you deserve.
The Law Offices of Randy S. Margulis represents Western New York clients in a full range of family court matters. Call 716-886-9600 or contact us online to schedule a consultation at our Williamsville or downtown Buffalo office.