Representing Grandparents in Child Custody and Visitation Cases
It's not unusual for a grandparent to need a lawyer's help to establish their rights with regard to visitation, conservatorship or even adoption of a grandchild. Here are some of the common situations that occur in Texas and other states:
- Following a contested divorce, a parent who is awarded sole conservatorship of children denies visitation rights to the parents of her former spouse.
- Following the death of a spouse, the surviving spouse remarries and cuts off visits between the children and the parents of the deceased spouse.
- After the biological parents are no longer able to care for their children, that role falls to the grandparents.
I'm Ryan Beason, a family law attorney in League City. Grandparents' rights is an emerging area of law in the United States. Unfortunately, Texas laws have not kept pace with the societal need to protect the vital role that grandparents play in the lives of their grandchildren.
What Rights do Grandparents Have in Texas?
As long as a biological parent is still alive, grandparents have few if any rights in Texas family courts. If a biological parent is alive and does not agree to provide visitation to grandparents, few Texas judges will order visitation.
If the biological parents or parent are missing, incarcerated, overseas or incapable of providing a safe environment for a child, the court may provide the grandparent primary conservatorship (also known as custody). Conservatorship gives you many of the rights of a parent, including the ability to enroll your grandchild in school, view medical records and make medical decisions, and provide health insurance as a dependent under your employer medical plan.
Free Lawyer Consultation
To schedule a consultation about grandparent rights with me, attorney Ryan Beason, call 281-968-0032 or complete the contact form on this Web site. My law office is located in the Marina View building at South Shore Harbour in League City, Texas.
