• David Starks
• Marc T. Christianson
• Jennifer J. Payseno
• Susan J. Shulenberger
• Justin Sedell
• Kim Schnuelle
• Lisa Dufour
• Sharon L. Friedrich
• Laura Carlsen
• Elizabeth Bianchi
• Jessica T. Moore
• Annelisa Smith
• Jamie Walker
• Christina Smith
• Lindsay Noel
• Krista Stipe
• Lindsay Camandona
• Rita Herrera Irvin
• Sands McKinley

Seattle Divorce Attorneys for Non-Parental Custody

All couples swear to live happily ever after their marriage, and intend to provide their family with love and support. But, because of circumstantial compulsion or irreconcilable differences, many of them fail to realize a successful married life. As grim as it may sound, any Seattle divorce attorney will tell you that statistics reveal that 50% of marriages end up in divorce. During the tragic breakdown of a family, some couples lose focus on how to safeguard their children's future interests. Consequently, sometimes relatives come forward to take care of the children when the conflict between parents, or because of abusive behavior, precludes them from doing so. When a relative or other adult has taken physical custody of a child, that person may seek the help of a Seattle divorce attorney and bring a non-parental custody action in order to get legal custody of that child.

There are various issues relating to non-parental custody that a Seattle divorce attorney may help people with. Non-parental custody is granted to the third party (usually, a relative of the child) when both the parents are declared unfit to take the physical custody of the child in the court of law, or when those parents agree to granting custody to a third party. Child support may be ordered against the biological parents in favor of the third party. Furthermore, a parenting plan, devised by a Seattle divorce attorney, may be entered which allows for visitation between the children and the biological parents

Without an agreement, it is generally difficult to receive an award in favor of you since the laws and regulations relating the non-parental custody are very stringent. Federal law recognizes a person's right to parent as fundamental, and overcoming that right requires meeting a high standard. Despite this, the Seattle divorce attorneys at McKinley Irvin have delivered successful outcomes in scores of third party custody cases. These Seattle divorce attorneys have represented many clients in contested non-parental visitation actions where parenting plans, child support, and custodial designation are at issue. They know and understand that the relationship between the child and other significant persons is vital to the child's well being. Hence, they approach their clients' cases with intensity, compassion, and dedication. MI Seattle divorce attorneys have over 100 years of combined experience in Washington State family law litigation. This experience helps them offer their clients proven strategies to negotiate and litigate these cases. Moreover, these supremely competent Seattle divorce attorneys have some unique and effective litigation strategies to represent clients who are either seeking or defending against non-parental visitation actions.