Parental Rights

Parental Rights Lawyers in Quincy, MA

Serving Parents in the Greater Boston Metro Area

Understanding your parental rights is crucial, especially if you are involved in an upcoming divorce, separation, paternity matter, or custody dispute.

These rights include physical custody (residing with the child) and legal custody (making decisions about the child's welfare, including education, health, and religion). Parents also have the right to visitation if they do not have physical custody.

You are additionally entitled to seek changes to custody or visitation orders if you or your child have undergone substantial changes in circumstances that make the existing custody arrangements unworkable.

We have extensive experience handling complex family law matters at Davis Law Group. We approach every case with empathy, understanding the emotional toll these situations can take. Our team is dedicated to preserving your parental rights while ensuring the best outcome for your child.

Arrange for a confidential consultation with a Quincy parental rights attorney at (617) 752-6216 or by submitting our convenient online response form.

Parental Rights Overview in Massachusetts

Without understanding your parental rights, you could suffer significant consequences in child-related legal issues.

Examples of those consequences could include:

Losing custody or visitation rights: If you're unaware of your rights, you might not know how to properly fight for custody or visitation in case of a divorce or separation. This could result in losing access to your child.
Unfair financial burden: You may end up shouldering more than your fair share of financial responsibilities, such as child support or medical expenses if you don't understand what you're legally obligated to provide.
Violations: If you're uninformed about your rights, others may take advantage of this and violate them. This could include the other parent or even legal entities.
Inability to make decisions for your child: Parental rights often include being able to make crucial decisions related to your child's education, religion, or medical treatment. Not knowing these rights could lead to your input being ignored.
Legal consequences: Sometimes, not understanding your parental rights could lead to other legal trouble. For example, you could face penalties if you unknowingly violate a custody agreement.

Can Parental Rights be Terminated in Massachusetts?

Parental rights can be terminated in Massachusetts under specific circumstances such as abuse, neglect, abandonment, or if a court finds it in the best interest of the child. Termination of parental rights is severe and permanent, meaning the parent loses all legal rights to contact, visit, or make any decisions about their child's life. It is a step often taken if an adoption of the child is proceeding.

Grandparents’ Rights in Massachusetts

Massachusetts grandparents can seek certain rights regarding their grandchildren through the courts.

If the child's parents are divorced, separated, or unmarried and living apart, or if one or both parents are deceased, grandparents can petition the court for visitation rights. However, the court will only grant these rights if it determines that visitation would be in the best interest of the child and that denying visitation would cause significant harm to the child's health, safety, or welfare.

Paternity and Parental Rights

Paternity refers to legally recognizing a person as a child's father. Establishing paternity is crucial as it directly relates to parental rights.

In Massachusetts, if parents are unmarried, the father has no legal rights to the child until paternity is established. Once paternity is confirmed, the father has the same rights as the mother, including the right to seek custody or visitation and the responsibility to support the child financially.

The children of unmarried fathers have a right to financial support from their biological fathers if no other man has been acknowledged in this role. The unmarried mother can seek child support through the courts; this also involves establishing the paternity of the father.

The Value of Legal Representation in Parental Rights Issues

Having a knowledgeable attorney to guide you through the complexities of divorce, child custody, and child support is invaluable.

AT Davis Law Group, we can explain your rights, help negotiate the best possible terms, represent your interests in court, and help your case meet all legal requirements. Our parental rights lawyers can significantly impact the outcome in intricate situations such as determining child custody and support.

Our representation is critical when parental rights are at stake, as missteps could jeopardize your relationship with your child.

Book a consultation with a Quincy parental rights lawyer by contacting us online or at (617) 752-6216.

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I have used the services of Davis Law Group a number of times during the past 20 years and found them to be an extremely professional and caring law firm. Specifically I have used them for real estate transactions and for estate planning, wills, and healthcare proxies, with Jay Davis and Maryanne McGonagle as my primary attorneys. Whereas some law firms use boiler plates and treat clients as transactions, Jay and the firm have cared about my specific needs as a client and customized to those needs. I highly recommend this firm.

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Three generations of my family have trusted Davis Law Group with our legal needs and they have always done right by us. Since April I have been working non-stop with Mary Anne McGonagle and Jay Davis to navigate and probate an excruciatingly-complicated estate. Both Mary Anne and Jay have gone out of their way numerous times on my behalf and have vigorously protected my interests in the face of some fairly significant headwinds. I could not be more thankful for, and appreciative of, their attention and the care they have demonstrated for my family.

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15 Cottage Ave.
Fourth Floor
Quincy, MA 02169
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