Grandparent Rights Lawyer in Montgomery County, PA
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In many families, grandparent play an important and special role. Grandparent often raise the children and provide for their support and maintenance. Fortunately, Pennsylvania custody laws do provide a legal process for grandparent to obtain custody of a grandchild so long as a number of legal requirements are met.
Grandparents Custodial Rights
The term “standing” is a legal term that confers upon an individual the right to bring a legal cause of action in court. The Pennsylvania custody laws expressly permit grandparent to pursue physical custody and legal custody of a grandchild. This means that grandparent may have “standing” to pursue custody rights. Specifically, standing is conferred upon a grandparent under one of the following circumstances:
- A grandparent whose relationship with the child began either with the consent of a parent of the child or under court order
- A grandparent who assumes or is willing to assume responsibility for the child
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A grandparent when one of the following conditions are met:
1) the child has been determined to be a dependent child under the juvenile laws;
2) the child is substantially at risk due to parental abuse, neglect, drug or alcohol abuse or incapacity; or
3) the child has for at least 12 consecutive months, resided with the grandparent and is removed from the home by the parents, in which case the action must be filed within 6 months after the removal of the child from the home.
Custody Procedure
When a grandparent has standing to pursue custody rights, the grandparent must then convince a court to award custody to the grandparent. If there is an action between a parent of the child and a grandparent, there is a presumption that custody shall be awarded to the parent; however, the presumption may be overcome with sufficient evidence. The judge will look to the following factors:
- The amount of personal contact between the child and the grandparent;
- Whether the award of custody would interfere with the relationship between the child and either parent; and
- Whether the award is in the best interests of the child. The best interests of the child can be proven in a number of ways but generally speaking, the grandparent must show that awarding custody to the grandparent meets a child’s emotional and physical needs.
Grandparent Visitation Rights
In addition to the right to pursue physical or legal custody as described above, grandparent and great-grandparent have standing to file an action for visitation in the following situations:
- Where a birth parent has died
- Where the parents been separated for at least 6 months or have commenced divorce proceedings; or
- When the child has, for a period of at least 12 consecutive months, resided with the grandparent or great-grandparent and is removed from the home by the parents. In this scenario, an action must be filed by the grandparent within 6 months after the removal of the child from the home.
Visitation Procedure
The factors that a court will consider in awarding a grandparent visitation include whether the award would interfere with any parent-child relationship and whether the award would be in the best interests of the child.
Grandparent Rights - The Martin Law Firm, P.C.
As with any legal proceeding, the role of the lawyer is to advise the client whether he or she has standing to pursue a claim and the likelihood of success. To determine the likelihood of a successful outcome, the lawyer must review the specific circumstances of the situation and apply those circumstances to the law. This enables the lawyer to determine whether the evidence to be presented at trial will be enough to win. Only then should the lawyer and the client pursue a claim.
To discuss your case, please call us today at (215) 646-3980.
Please call (215) 646-3980 to schedule an appointment.
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Our legal team provides individualized legal solutions for our clients by offering high quality legal counsel and representation in diverse areas of law. Our attorneys regularly represent clients throughout Southeast Pennsylvania, including Montgomery County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Philadelphia County.
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