Do I Have Any Custody Rights to My Stepchild?
Do I Have Any Custody Rights to My Stepchild?
If you are getting a divorce in California and you have stepchildren, you generally do not have rights to maintain custody unless you have legally adopted the child or children. In most cases, the biological parent’s rights will be enforced over yours. There is no automatic right to stepparent visitation unless the court determines that it is in the best interest of the child or children that you be given…
Read MoreStepparent Visitation Rights in Orange County (Family Code 3101)
The stepparent visitation process can be a very frustrating and difficult legal process. Many times, your stepchild’s biological parent may feel as if you have no rights to stepparent visitation because you are not the biological parent. Because the stepparent visitation process in Orange County is complex, it is essential that you rely on the stepparent visitation attorneys at Wallin & Klarich to help you or you may not be…
Read MoreI want to increase my stepparent visitation rights, how can a family lawyer help me? (California Family Code section 3101)
Stepparent visitation is a complex family law matter. Although modifying a denial of stepparent visitation rights is not possible, modifying an order to increase or decrease visitation time is possible. As a stepparent, it is important to understand that obtaining increased visitation rights with a stepchild is not a simple process. The preferences of the biological parents will take precedence and may limit the amount of visitation time you may…
Read MoreAs a stepparent, can I get court-ordered visitation with my stepson or stepdaughter under California Family Code 3101?
California courts have the ability to grant stepparents “reasonable visitation” in a divorce proceeding under Family Code §3101. However, a stepparent cannot assert his or her right to visitation and contact with the child if they are not a party to the case. Therefore, a stepparent’s right to visitation with their stepchild does not arise in a case between the biological parents, but rather in a divorce proceeding between the…
Read MoreStep-Parent Visitation Rights Being Fought in the California Court of Appeals
If you are not the biological parent of a child and you are not married to the biological parent, but you have a strong parent-child relationship with your partner's child when your relationship with the biological parent ends, you can still have rights to the child as a legal parent. Step-parent visitation rights is an issue currently under debate in the 3rd District Court of Appeals, and is something you…
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