Arizona law contains a statute that gives legal rights to grandparents and other non-parents under certain circumstances. It is designed to ensure that both sides of child’s family are involved in that child’s life. Usually, this comes into play when a parent is absent or unavailable due to death, divorce, prison or other factors.
At Wilson-Goodman Law Group, PLLC, our Queen Creek and Gilbert grandparents’ rights lawyers are here to advise and assist clients with a wide variety of family law issues, including fighting for the rights of grandparents to maintain relationships with their grandchildren.
What Grandparents’ Rights Do and Don’t Involve
The Arizona family courts want to make sure that if a parent is not able to be involved in his or her child’s life, that child is not completely cut off from that side of the family. In such cases, the courts often encourage visitation agreements that allow grandparents to maintain relationships with the children.
However, grandparent rights are not a substitute for parental rights, and grandparents are not granted legal decision-making rights (custody) if the parent is available. When the parent is not available, grandparents must prove that they stand In Loco Parentis or “in place of the parent” to request physical custody.
Our law firm has represented many nonparents who have essentially raised the children, but suddenly the parent reappears on the scene after a long absence and wants the kids back. In such disputes, we strive to create agreements that will enable all parties to resolve the disagreement amicably. If that is not possible, however, we will tenaciously advocate for our clients’ interests in court.
Questions? Call Us About Grandparent Visitation Issues
If you are a grandparent or another nonparent relative seeking to understand your legal rights, call Wilson-Goodman Law Group, PLLC, in Gilbert at (480) 503-9217 or our Queen Creek office at (480) 686-9400. You can also contact our attorneys online.