Delaware Third-Party Child Custody Lawyers
The traditional family consisting of children and two biological parents is no longer as common. A parent may have been killed, or both parents may have died in a car accident. Parents may have made the difficult decision to end their marriage. One or both parents may be deemed unfit to raise their child due to chemical dependency or another problem. Whatever the situation, the court will always seek a custody resolution according to the "best interests of the child" standard. In some situations, this may mean granting legal rights to someone other than the child’s biological parent.
We are Carucci Di Lorenzo, LLC, and we know that if you are involved in such a situation, you may be distraught, overwhelmed and anxious. As dedicated lawyers, our primary objective is to guide you through the process as quickly and painlessly as possible.
In order to establish third-party custody or visitation rights, the Delaware family courts will evaluate whether the individual had a prior meaningful relationship with the child and if it would be in the best interests of the child to continue that relationship.
Dependency/neglect custody: If the biological parent is unable to care for the child; or, if the legal parent is capable of caring for the child, but does not provide adequate care due to abuse or neglect, custody may be awarded to a third party
Temporary or permanent guardianship: If the parent cannot provide adequate care for the child, it may be necessary for a third party to pursue legal responsibility for the child for the short or long term
Third-party visitation: If the third party had a prior relationship with the child, but that relationship has ceased due to the divorce, separation or death of one or both parents, it may be possible to re-establish third-party visitation rights/parenting time rights
We know that you may have many questions about the process, about your legal rights and about how to protect the interests of the child (or children) involved. We know how important and precious children are, and we are truly concerned with protecting your needs throughout the entire third-party custody and visitation process. We strive to avoid a contentious custody battle and to resolve the matter as amicably as possible in order to protect familial bonds. However, we are prepared to provide aggressive courtroom representation in the event negotiations are unproductive.
Contact a Wilmington Temporary Guardianship Attorney online or by phone at 302-654-5083 or by e-mail to schedule an initial consultation to discuss your situation. We represent clients in Wilmington, and throughout Delaware.
