Many grandparents hear that their child is getting a divorce and they have a lot of questions about how to help and if they’ll get to keep seeing their grandchildren. Some grandparents even find it necessary to get involved in the proceedings and seek custody. Here are some questions that grandparents frequently ask, and their answers.

1. What is the best way to support my child during divorce and custody proceedings? This question has as many answers as there are custody situations. No custody case is the same, and different people will need different help. The basic help that a grandparent can provide is emotional support. A grandparent can listen to their children, and the grandchildren, without judgement. They can also offer feedback to the parent when requested. Some parents may need more help with the children during this time, and grandparents can step in and help babysit. They can also provide financial help if the resources are available to them. If a grandparent really wants to know, they can simply ask their child what the child wants them to do.

2. Do grandparents have legal visitation rights to the grandchildren? This varied according to the state where you live, but generally a grandparent doesn’t have legal visitation. This changes if the grandparents have been awarded custody, or there are extenuating circumstances in the court. However, the best way for most grandparents to continue seeing their grandchildren is to maintain a relationship with the parents. Grandparents can plan on their child having some visitation time, and they can see the granchildren then. If it’s appropriate, grandparents can continue a relationship with the other parent and offer to babysit or watch the children to see them more.

3. How does a grandparent talk about the divorce and custody issues with the grandchildren? This is a hard question for some grandparents, and it depends on the children. Grandparents should leave most of the explaining to the parents, and offer only neutral comments if the children ask. Grandparents should not speak negatively of either parent in the presence of the children. If a child has questions, the grandparent should give a short explanation and inform the parent about it. Grandparents can listen to their grandchildren and ask them questions to find out how they’re handling things. The important thing is for the children to feel loved and supported.

4. Can grandparents get legal custody of the grandchildren? Grandparents can get custody of the children if neither parent is considered capable by the courts. In order for this to happen, the grandparent must have a history of taking care of the children in the parent’s absence. Courts prefer to grant parental custody, but if the grandparent can make a compelling case based on history and other circumstances that the child will do best with them, the courts can give them custody.

5. What is guardianship and how does it differ from custody? Many grandparents seek guardianship rather than custody because it is easier. Guardianship means that the grandparents can make legal decisions for their grandchildren and can fulfill many parental roles. This can happen if a parent and grandchildren move in with the grandparents. Both will have responsibility of the children.

When you’re faced with the daunting challenge of dividing substantial personal, family, and business assets and complex child custody , you need New York divorce lawyers who are highly experienced in divorce law. New York attorneys who can aggressively negotiate an acceptable divorce, property division, and child custody arrangement, or litigate if the situation warrants.

There are many divorce lawyers in New York with tremendous experience in divorce law and sufficient exposure in dealing with the local judges. The divorce lawyers that have more than 25 years of experience are aware of all the minor details involved in a divorce process in the jurisdiction of the state. Hence, they are capable of negotiating divorce terms, property divisions and child custody arrangements in an aggressive manner, at the court. They also serve as very good attorneys in cases that require litigation.

It is important to choose divorce lawyers based on references from other clients who have used their services in the past. Most divorce lawyers, at the first stage, discuss and analyze the details of the case such as the divorce situation, the complex financial information of the clients and issues such as child custody and visitation rights. It is advisable to be honest while discussing the background of a case with attorneys. This is because the advice and suggestions offered by divorce lawyers would depend on the information shared with them by the clients.

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* Child Support
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When you visit their New York City Office, they will discuss your divorce situation, analyze your complex financial information, the custody and visitation issues and suggest the solutions that best suit your needs. They understand the only real winners in divorce are those who can get on with their lives unencumbered by hatred, guilt or the need for retubution. Their New York City law office is here to help you through your divorce and into healing – successfully. Contact them today for more info or to proceed with your family law matter in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island.