Long Island Grandparents' Rights

Understanding Grandparents' Rights in Long Island

As a grandparent, you may be under the impression that you do not have any rights regarding your daughter or son's divorce. Although the rights that you have are very limited, they do exist. Depending on the situation, you can apply for visitation rights. In very limited circumstances, you may even be eligible for child custody.

One complication you can face with visitation is if the child is adopted by a new parent after the divorce. Another common situation is when a grandchild is being abused by his or her custodial parent(s) and grandparents want to step in as legal guardians. No matter what your legal concern involves, our Long Island divorce lawyer can help you protect your grandchild.

New York Laws on Grandparents' Rights

As a grandparent, you have the right to seek visitation rights to maintain a relationship with your grandchild. Although there is no assurance that the court will grant such a request, our firm can help maximize your chances. As a grandparent subject to the laws of New York, you are not automatically granted the privilege of being involved in your grandchild's life. This state, however, is more permissive than many others in regard to granting visitation rights.

With the experienced legal guidance of a Long Island grandparents' rights attorney from our firm, we can help you understand your rights. New York law provides visitation rights to grandparents if at least one parent is deceased.

The other provision is more ambiguous, stating that visitation rights can also be pursued in circumstances in which the grandparents' intervention would be beneficial to the child. Overall, the court will assess the child's best interests pertaining to this situation.