St. Paul Third-Party
Custody Attorney

Not all custody cases involve one parent facing off against the other. Many children do not live with their parents for various reasons, and have been taken in by another relative for their upbringing. In many cases, these are informal arrangements that may be temporary at first.

However, it may make sense at some point to make the situation more permanent. At my St. Paul law firm, I assist nonparents who want to petition for custody of a child they have been caring for.

Acting In The Best Interests Of The Children

There are many different situations that could lead to parents being unable or unwilling to raise their children. Parents who struggle with substance abuse issues, for example, may be neglectful toward their children or even absent altogether.
It then falls to an interested party — often, but not always, a member of the extended family — to raise those children.

Because many of these arrangements are informal, caregivers may want to petition for third-party custody rights. An experienced family lawyer can help people in this situation understand the sorts of conditions that need to be met:

• The person has to be an interested third party
• The child has to have lived with that party already
  and have a relationship
• The parent has to have exhibited abandonment
• The third party has to show that the child's safety is a bigger concern than a direct connection with the parent

The issues surrounding children whose parents may be unfit to raise them, at least temporarily, can be complex. Grandparents' rights, for example, may be a concern for some family members as well. As an experienced family law attorney, I can help people consider all the situations that may come up during the course of a third-party custody situation.

Contact me for a consultation. I can be reached at 651-447-7069, or you can complete my online form.