Grandparent’s Rights Lawyer In Pittsburgh and Allegheny County

If you are the grandparent of a child who you believe you should have custody of or visitation with, consult with a grandparent’s rights attorney in Pennsylvania to learn more about your legal options.

Grandparents will often seek partial custody or visitation of their grandchild in many different types of situations. Perhaps the child’s parents are ill equipped to provide the care that the child needs, or maybe some sort of dispute has occurred within the family and the grandchild is being used against their grandparents to make a point, or perhaps something else entirely is taking place. 

In any case, no matter the reason for taking legal action, sometimes obtaining visitation or custody is in the best interests of the child. If you have reason to believe you may be entitled to certain rights, a Pennsylvania grandparent’s rights lawyer at Lisa Marie Vari & Associates, P.C. may be able to help.

Seeking Partial Custody or Visitation as a Grandparent

There are very specific circumstances under which a grandparent can seek partial custody, primary physical custody, or visitation of their grandchild. These three conditions include:

• Parents of a child not agreeing on a partial custody plan for the grandparents
• When the parent of a child has passed away
• If a child has resided with the grandparents for twelve months and is suddenly removed by the parents of the child

As can be seen, being awarded custody of grandchildren is no easy feat in PA, but when you have an accomplished attorney fighting for your rights, the process can seem significantly less challenging than if you were to file a custody action without legal representation from a Pennsylvania family law attorney.

Grandparent Custody Complaints

Once you have filed your complaint for custody, if the biological parents of your grandchildren contest your complaint, then the burden of proof in regard to why you should be granted custody will fall to you. There are criteria here as well that will need to be met for the evidentiary burdens to be met. They include:

• Being willing to assume responsibility or already having assumed responsibility of the children
• The relationship between grandchildren and grandparents having begun through a court order or with the consent of the children’s parents
• The grandchildren’s having resided with their grandparents for a minimum of twelve months
• The grandparents having reason to believe the children are not safe with their parents due to suspicion of abuse, neglect, or substance abuse
• The grandchildren having been deemed dependent as a result of abuse or neglect

The individual details of your Pennsylvania case will determine which of these circumstances will need to be proven in court after your attorney has carefully examined your custody complaint further.

Reach Out to a Grandparent’s Rights Attorney in PA

If you are interested in seeking partial custody or visitation as a grandparent, or if you are fighting back against a grandparent who wants rights to your child, contact a Pennsylvania grandparent’s rights lawyer at Lisa Marie Vari & Associates, P.C. 

You can schedule your initial consultation at our firm by filling out the convenient online contact form we have included below or giving our office a call at (412) 231-9786.