Grandparents' Rights in Long Island

Protecting the Rights of Grandparents

As a grandparent in Long Island, you may be concerned about your visitation rights to your grandchildren after their parent's divorce and child custody arrangements have been settled. Your grandchild may have been adopted by a new parent after a divorce. Or you may have a grandchild who has been subjected to a domestic violence situation where you are concerned for the child's safety and welfare. You may wish to have your concerns about your relationship and spending time with your grandchildren addressed by the court if you are unable to have them resolved through family communication. In some cases, the parent of your grandchild is your own son or daughter who is deceased or the noncustodial parent with little access to the child.

Regardless of the circumstances, you may wish to seek legal representation from a grandparents' rights attorney at our firm who can advise you of your rights and help you seek redress through the courts. At the Rubenfeld Law Office, we understand your concerns. Grandparents can have very special and life-enhancing relationships with their grandchildren which are mutually beneficial for both. Just because a divorce, adoption, or other family circumstance has occurred which changes the dynamics of the situation, it doesn't change the love and concern a grandparent may have for a grandchild.

Grandparents' Rights in New York

As a grandparent, you can seek visitation rights to your grandchildren through the courts with the help of a Long Island grandparents' rights lawyer at our firm. Unfortunately, there is no assurance that the court will grant such. Unless you have functioned as a parent to your grandchild in the absence of their own parents, you are not automatically granted the privilege of being involved in your grandchildren's lives under New York law. In the matter of grandparents' rights, the best interests of the child are of paramount concern to the courts, along with the protection of the parents' rights.

Fortunately, New York is more permissive than some of the other states when it comes to petitioning for visitation rights for grandparents. The main ground rule that must be established is that visitation is in the best interests of the child. With the experienced legal assistance of a Long Island grandparents' rights lawyer at our offices, you may be able to seek and obtain the right to spend time with a grandchild who has been adopted, separated from you by divorce, or through some other circumstance, such as drug or alcohol abuse, incarceration, domestic violence, or the death of a parent. Consult with an attorney from our firm if you are a grandparent seeking visitation rights in Long Island.