When Should a Grandparent Use a Family Lawyer's Services for Help With Their Grandchild?
As a grandparent, your grandchild might mean everything to you. Unfortunately, you might have found yourself in a situation relating to your grandchild in which you might need legal guidance and representation. These are some of the situations in which grandparents like you can sometimes benefit from using a family lawyer's services.
Fighting for Visitation
You might be estranged from your adult child, and because of it, you might not have the opportunity to see your grandchild as much as you would like to (or at all). Your adult child might have passed away, and your grandchild's other parent might not be cooperating with you to allow you to see your grandchild. These types of situations can be heartbreaking and can be really difficult to work out on your own. Of course, if you can work things out with your grandchild's parents without seeking help from a lawyer, you will probably want to do so. If not, a family lawyer can help you fight for visitation with the grandchild that you love and wish to see on a regular basis.
Fighting for Custody
In some cases, grandparents find that it's in their grandchild's best interest not to live with their parents anymore. If you fear that your grandchild's parents are abusive, addicted to drugs or alcohol, financially unable to provide for your grandchild or otherwise unable to provide proper care for your grandchild, you could be wondering what you can and should do. If you are willing to take on custody of your grandchild, this might be an option. However, if you want to be successful in this fight for custody, you are going to need the help of a family lawyer.
Getting Financial Help
You might already have custody of your grandchild for some reason or another; you might have fought for custody because you didn't feel that your grandchild was being cared for properly by their parents, or you might have been granted custody after their parents passed away. In these types of scenarios, many grandparents step in and do what they can to help their grandchildren. However, you might be struggling financially to take care of a child, particularly if you are retired and live on a fixed income.
If you are struggling financially to take care of your grandchild, the last thing that you might be thinking about is hiring a family lawyer, since you might assume the legal fees will be expensive. However, there are programs out there that can help you get financial assistance, such as child support, the Grandparent Child Care Benefit and more. A lawyer can potentially help you get this financial help that you need, which can make it easier for you to properly care for your grandchild. Contact a lawyer for more information related to family law.
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