Looking for Legal Authority Over Your Stepchildren?
Stepparents often form close bonds with their stepchildren. When those bonds are threatened by divorce — or when one or both of a child's birth parents become unfit to care for him or her — there is a process stepparents can follow to assert their rights.
At the Diamond Law Firm in Los Angeles, we are experienced in helping stepparents stand up for their rights in family and probate court. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with one of our knowledgeable family law attorneys.
Understanding Your Options as a Stepparent
In California, stepparents' rights are always going to be subject to what is best for the child. Depending on the exact circumstances of your case, it may be possible for you to obtain rights through one of the following procedures.
- Visitation: If you have formed close bonds with your stepchildren and are now getting divorced from one of their natural parents, you may be able to get visitation rights with them. The key issue is whether visitation would be in the children's best interests. Visitation may, in turn, give rise to child support obligations on your part.
- Guardianship: If your spouse is no longer able to take care of his or her natural children, it may be possible for you to obtain guardianship over them. However, the other natural parent and the grandparents may also want to assert guardianship.
- Adoption: It is not uncommon for stepparents to adopt their stepchildren. Typically, this happens when one natural parent is no longer in the picture. Once you adopt a stepchild, you have all the same rights as a natural parent.
To learn more about your rights as a stepparent and what we can do to help you protect and assert those rights, contact us to discuss your case with an experienced California lawyer.
