Third Party Custody
If you are a grandparent you may wonder what rights you have to visit with your grandchildren. A grandparent does have a right to seek visitation with their grandchildren if:
- the grandparent’s son or daughter is deceased;
- a dissolution, custody, legal separation, annulment or determination of paternity is commenced by one of the parents;
- the child has resided with the grandparent for a period of twelve months or more and is subsequently removed from the home by the child’s parents; or
- a step-parent adopts the child and either the grandparent’s child is deceased or the grandparent’s child’s rights have been terminated pursuant to the step-parent adoption.
In these circumstances, grandparents and even great-grandparents do have a right to seek reasonable visitation with the child under Minnesota Law. However, before the court may award grandparent visitation they must find that the visitation rights would be in the best interest of the child and, by clear and convincing evidence, would not interfere with the parent/child relationship
TRUSTED LEGAL ADVOCACY WITH A RECORD OF RESULTS
In deciding if the grandparent visitation rights are in the best interest of the child, courts must consider the amount of personal contact between the parents or grandparents of the child and the child prior to the application for grandparent visitation rights. The more frequent the prior contact, the more likely the courts are to find that continued contact is in the child’s best interest. Another common argument that continued contact is in the child’s best interest is that it furthers the child’s interest in maintaining or establishing connections with that side of the family.
Because grandparent rights cases are so family specific, Tentinger Law Firm’s emphasis on individually-tailored legal advice becomes even more valuable. Specifically, we adopt a collaborative approach to our clients’ grandparent rights cases. We work diligently to ensure that the firm’s knowledge of our client’s case is comprehensive, and we incorporate this detailed knowledge into pleadings and briefs submitted to the court. We regularly communicate with the client while drafting pleadings, thus resulting in custom-made pleadings for each case. This collaborative approach results in meticulously prepared legal documents sensitive to each client’s individual legal needs and goals when it comes to grandparent rights issues.
EXPERIENCED DAKOTA COUNTY GRANDPARENT RIGHTS ATTORNEYS WORKING FOR YOU
Because of the fact-specific nature of grandparent visit cases and the somewhat difficult legal standard, it is important to have experienced attorneys on your side. At Tentinger Law Firm, we offer more than two decades of experience in family law issues, including grandparent rights. We can also help you if the grandparent of your child is trying to seek grandparent rights and you do not believe this is appropriate. Contact our law firm today for a free 30-minute consultation to learn how we can address all of your issues regarding grandparent rights.
GRANDPARENT RIGHTS ATTORNEYS SERVING THROUGHOUT DAKOTA COUNTY
To discuss your questions with an experienced attorney contact Tentinger Law Firm at 952-953-3330 or use our quick contact form to schedule a free half-hour initial consultation. Tentinger Law Firm accepts credit cards. All conversations between Tentinger Law Firm and potential clients are kept completely confidential.
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