As the fabric of families change, so must the law, as we’ve seen in cases involving divorce, single parenting and adoption. While much legislation has been passed to keep up with the times, there are still many unanswered questions and grandparent rights are often overlooked; in particular, one question: Do parents have the right to withhold visitation from grandparents?
Grandparents Rights Alpharetta Attorney
The state of Georgia does not automatically award visitation with grandchildren, so if the parents (married or not) choose not to include you in on visitation, you must first petition the court, seeking the right to legally continue an established relationship with a minor child. The best interest of the child will be of utmost importance to the court. The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that visitation is encouraged unless or until it can be shown to be harmful to the child. The attorneys at the Teiger Law Center for grandparent rights in Alpharetta encourage you to consider drafting an agreement that ensures continued visitation rights to grandparents, spelling out the terms and conditions clearly so that all parties can understand and abide by the arrangement.
Alpharetta Grandchild Custody Attorney
You also have the right to petition the courts for custody of your grandchildren, as long as no other petitions have been filed and not more than once in a two-year period. A major societal change has been in the number of grandparents raising their grandchildren for reasons as varied as parental substance/anger abuse, parental negligence/desertion, financial, or even death of one or both parents. In order to prevail, you must prove that parental custody would harm the child, and that you will promote the child’s health, welfare and happiness. You may also file objections to the petition of adoption if both parents have relinquished any further rights to the child and if you are a blood relative of the child.
Cumming, GA Grandparent – Grandchild Visitation Lawyers
The Teiger Law Center will guide you through the petition process and help with all your Alpharetta grandparent rights needs and other family law concerns in Alpharetta, Cumming, Roswell and Gainesville, Georgia.
