Grandparent Visitation Attorney Ocean County, NJ
Serving Families across Point Pleasant, Toms River, Spring Lake, Wall, and Ocean and Monmouth Counties
New Jersey law recognizes that a child’s relationship with their grandparents is extremely important, but also that a parent’s rights to parental autonomy can allow for denial of visitation between a child and their grandparents should the parent have reason to believe that such a relationship could prove harmful to the child.
At Bronzino Law Firm, we have extensive experience helping families across Spring Lake, Point Pleasant, Toms River, Brick, and the greater Ocean Coutny area to successfully resolve visitation issues of all kinds between grandparents and children. Whether you are a grandparent being denied visitation with your grandchildren, or a parent concerned about your child’s relationship with their grandparents, our firm is prepared to provide you with attentive, compassionate, and effective legal service to help you resolve your unique issues and concerns regarding a grandparent’s rights to child visitation.
Contact our firm today to discuss your situation in a free and confidential consultation.
New Jersey’s Grandparent Visitation Law
A grandparent’s rights to visitation are outlined in the New Jersey statute N.J.S.A. 9:2-7.1, originally enacted in 1972, and later amended in 1973 and again in 1993. Under this statute, grandparents are given the right to petition the courts to be granted visitation time with their grandchildren.
However, pursuant to case law established in Moriarty v Bradt, petitioning grandparents must first demonstrate how and why denial of visitation with their grandchildren is harmful to the best interests of those grandchildren.
When pursuing such a petition, retaining the counsel of an experienced Ocean County family law attorney is highly recommended. Your attorney will understand exactly what kind of information to present to the courts, and how to present it, in order to convince the courts that denial of visitation with your grandchildren is harmful to them, and allow for your petition for grandchild visitation to be heard.
Grandchild Visitation Petitions Attorney Toms River, NJ
Should you prove successful in convincing the courts that visitation with your grandchildren is not in the best interests of your grandchildren, the court will then take into consideration the following factors when making a ruling regarding what rights a grandparent has to visitation with their grandchildren:
- The good faith of the applicant in making the application
- The historical relationship between the grandparent and the children
- The relationship between the grandparent and the parents or legal guardians of the child
- The affect that visitation with the grandparent will have on the relationship between the child and their parents or legal guardians
- The existing visitation agreement between the parents of the child if they are divorced
- Any history of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by the grandparent
- Any other factors the court deems relevant to the visitation petition
Again, having an experienced Toms River grandparent visitation attorney can be extremely beneficial during this process. Your attorney will understand exactly how to present your arguments for or against grandparent visitation to the courts, while taking into consideration any specific needs or concerns you may have due to family or outside circumstances.
Denying Grandparent Visitation, Ocean County Child Visitation Lawyer
As previously mentioned, a parent’s rights to parental autonomy are a fundamental part of family law matters. If you, as a parent, have reason to believe that visitation between a grandparent and your child is harmful to that child, you have the right to deny visitation between your child and that grandparent.
Should a grandparent then petition the courts for rights to grandchild visitation, you and your attorney will need to demonstrate to the courts exactly why you believe visitation between your child and a grandparent is harmful to that child. This can be for a wide variety or reasons, including a grandparent’s history of alcohol or drug abuse, or a history of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. In order to effectively communicate your concerns to a court of law, and protect your children from the harmful influence of a grandparent, it is highly recommended that you retain experienced child visitation counsel throughout this process.
Contact a Brick Child Visitation Lawyer Today
At Bronzino Law Firm, we have extensive experience helping clients across Spring Lake, Toms River, Point Pleasant, Brick, Wall, and the greater Ocean County area to resolve child visitation issues of all kinds, including grandparent visitation.
Attorney Peter J. Bronzino believes in working closely with each of his clients, and that by keeping his clients highly informed and involved throughout the legal process, he can better understand their exact needs and concerns, and work towards resolving their case in the manner that best suits their needs.
The smaller size of our firm allows us to provide attentive and personal service to all of our clients, while charging fair and reasonable rates for our services.
To speak with our firm today in a free and confidential consultation regarding your grandparent visitation issues, please contact us online, or through our Brick, NJ office at (732) 812-3102.