Adoption Or Custody By Grandparents Or Relatives
When the natural parents can’t or won’t properly care for a child, it’s most often the grandparents who step up.
The Law Firm of Christopher T. Adams, P.C., has aided grandparents, aunts and uncles, or adult siblings in taking over custody or formally adopting an abandoned, orphaned, abused or neglected minor. We do everything we can to demonstrate to the court that our clients can provide the safe and nurturing environment that the child desperately needs. Grandparent adoption, custody and visitation can be complex. A skilled Lawrenceville attorney can guide you through the process.
Family law attorney Chris Adams has practiced in Gwinnett County and the north metro area of Atlanta since 1992. He welcomes you to a free consultation to discuss your rights and your specific situation. For a free consultation, call 800-582-0304.
Petitioning To Adopt
If the mother and father are out of the picture due to death or child abandonment, we represent grandparents or close relatives in petitioning to adopt. (If either parent is living, they will be contacted and given an opportunity to waive parental rights or contest the adoption.) Adoption — especially inter-family adoption — is one of the most complex areas of family law. And the consequences of doing it yourself incorrectly could be disastrous.
Grandparents Seeking Custody
The parent(s) may be in the child’s life, but unfit for custody because of drug addiction or mental illness. The parents may be recently deceased, in prison or in and out of the child’s life. There may be criminal activity, domestic violence, psychological abuse or utter neglect that endangers the child’s physical and mental well-being. If it’s time to act, we are behind you 100 percent.
In many cases, the parent voluntarily gives up custody because the grandparents have good medical insurance or are simply better equipped to care for a child with special needs. But Attorney Adams will represent you if you have to take your own adult child (or the other parent) to court to have his or her parental rights terminated involuntarily.
Grandparents And Visitation Rights
The higher courts have ruled that parents are not obligated to let grandma and grandpa see their children. However, if you were a primary caregiver and then abruptly cut off from your grandkids, there may be an argument that continued contact is in the child’s best interests.
To schedule a free initial consultation about grandparent adoption or custody, call our Lawrenceville, Georgia, lawyer at 800-582-0304 or contact us online.
