Northbrook Grandparents’ Rights Attorney
When family disputes or changes disrupt your relationship with your grandchildren, you need a legal team who understands your emotional and legal challenges. At Silberman Law Group, Northbrook grandparents’ rights attorney David Silberman helps grandparents secure visitation and custody rights under Illinois law. With over 15 years of family law experience, David Silberman has guided countless families across the Chicago North Shore through difficult custody and visitation disputes, helping grandparents preserve one of life’s most meaningful connections.
If you are a grandparent who is seeking visitation time with your grandchildren, Silberman Law Group can help. In Illinois, grandparents and other third parties may be able to obtain reasonable visitation rights if the courts determine that it is in the best interest of the child or children.
Call (312) 593-0075 today to schedule a confidential consultation with an experienced Northbrook grandparent visitation lawyer.
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Real Solutions for Real Northbrook Families.
At Silberman Law Group, we believe family stability and emotional continuity are essential to a child’s growth. Grandparents often serve as caregivers, mentors, and emotional anchors. When your relationship with your grandchildren is threatened, whether because of divorce, relocation, estrangement, or loss, you need a legal advocate who can protect your rights while prioritizing your grandchild’s best interests.
Our firm has represented grandparents in Northbrook, Glenview, Deerfield, and surrounding Illinois communities, offering compassionate counsel and strong courtroom advocacy. We tailor every case strategy to reflect each family’s dynamics, ensuring your voice is heard, and your relationship is respected.
Establishing Visitation Rights for Northbrook Grandparents
Under Illinois law, grandparents have the right to petition for visitation in specific circumstances, even if one or both parents object. The court’s goal is to determine what arrangement serves the best interest of the child. Attorney David Silberman understands how Illinois judges assess these factors and will work to present compelling evidence of your role and relationship.
Grandparents play a significant role in the lives of their grandchildren. Due to family circumstances, however, their children may deny them the opportunity to be involved. At Silberman Law Group, we focus on the legal process, and on maintaining family harmony where possible. Whenever appropriate, we pursue amicable resolutions through negotiation or mediation, allowing families to
Call 312-593-0075 today.
What Is the Process for Establishing Visitation Rights as a Grandparent?
Every grandparent’s rights case begins with understanding your eligibility and preparing strong documentation to support your claim. Then, your attorney will work with you to file a petition with the court and attend your hearing.
The importance of family bonds cannot be understated. If you have been denied visitation with your grandchild, grandparents’ rights lawyer David Silberman can help. Our law firm will guide you through each phase of the process, including:
Familiarizing Yourself With Your Rights
Illinois law allows grandparents to seek visitation under limited but powerful provisions. You may qualify if your grandchild’s parents are divorced, separated, incarcerated, deceased, or otherwise unable to provide a stable home. During your initial consultation, Attorney Silberman will analyze your situation to determine whether filing a petition is in your best interest.
Gathering Supporting Documentation
To make a determination regarding your petition, the court will consider several factors, including your relationship with your grandchild. Courts rely on evidence of your consistent involvement in your grandchild’s life. This might include photographs, communication records, proof of financial or emotional support, or testimony from teachers, caregivers, or other family members. We help you gather and organize this documentation to present a strong, cohesive case.
Filing a Petition With the Court
To initiate the process, you will submit the appropriate forms to the court and pay associated fees. When completing the forms, your grandparent visitation lawyer will help ensure you submit complete and accurate information, which helps prevent delays in your case or a denial of your petition. Upon filing a petition with the court, you will also need to serve notice on those involved. Often, this will include the child’s parents or guardians.
Attending the Court Hearing
During your hearing, David Silberman will present your case clearly and persuasively, showing the court why continued contact with you benefits your grandchild. Our approach emphasizes the emotional, educational, and social stability that grandparents often provide. We prepare clients thoroughly for testimony and ensure that all evidence aligns with Illinois statutes on visitation rights.
When Can Grandparents Receive Visitation in Illinois?
As a grandparent, Illinois law provides a path for you to establish visitation rights, especially when one parent is deemed incompetent or is otherwise uninvolved. The court generally holds that parents should have discretion over who their children interact with, however. Therefore, certain criteria must be met for the court to grant your petition.
Criteria for Granting Visitation
For the court to grant visitation to a non-parent, you will need to establish that at least one of the following requirements is met:
- The parents are divorced or legally separated, or have a pending case, and at least one parent does not object
- The child was born to unmarried parents who do not reside together
- One of the child’s parents has been incarcerated for three months or more
- One of the child’s parents has been missing or deceased for three months or more
- One of the child’s parents is deemed incompetent
If one or more of these circumstances exist, then the court will consider the case to determine if it is in your grandchild’s best interests to have regular visitation with you.
Additional Factors of Consideration
To decide if awarding visitation to a grandparent is in the child’s best interests, the court will consider:
- The reason the grandparent is seeking visitation
- The reason the parents have denied visitation
- The existing relationship between the grandparents and grandchild
- The grandparent’s role in acting as a caretaker for the grandchild
- The impact on the time requested on the grandchild’s regular activities
Family law courts considering grandparents’ rights will also take into account the grandchild’s physical and mental health, as well as his or her preference. The petitioning grandparent’s physical and mental wellness also factors into the court’s decision.
A Compassionate, Strategic Approach to Grandparent Visitation Cases
Grandparent visitation cases can be emotionally charged. Our approach combines empathy with assertive representation. We strive to balance compassion for all family members with a firm commitment to our client’s rights.
Whenever possible, David Silberman seeks to resolve disputes without unnecessary litigation. However, when a court battle is necessary, he presents evidence clearly and effectively, drawing upon his deep experience with Illinois family law courts in Cook County and Lake County.
We also help clients plan for future stability by drafting visitation agreements that protect their rights long-term. Whether through mediation or court orders, our goal is to ensure your bond with your grandchildren remains protected for years to come.
Silberman Law Group: Guiding Northbrook Families Through Life’s Legal Challenges
Helping families navigate some of life’s most difficult challenges, family law attorney David Silberman provides dedicated advice and representation to people living in Northbrook, and throughout the surrounding area. Beyond grandparent visitation, Silberman Law Group provides comprehensive family law services, including:
- Spousal Support
- Child Custody and Visitation
- Child Support
- LGBTQ
- Post-Decree Modification and Enforcement
FAQs About Grandparents’ Rights in Illinois
1. Can my visitation rights as a grandparent be modified or terminated?
Like other visitation orders, there are situations in which the court may see fit to modify or terminate your time with your grandchild. For example, this may include a significant change in circumstances that impacts the child’s well-being, a direct risk to the child’s safety, or violation of the court’s order.
2. I’m a paternal grandparent of a child born out of wedlock. Do I have rights?
As a grandparent, you have a right to seek visitation if the qualifying circumstances exist. However, to access those rights as a paternal grandparent to a child born out of wedlock, your child will need to have established paternity. They may have done this through a voluntary acknowledgment or by obtaining a court order.
3. How does adoption affect grandparents’ rights in Illinois?
Under most circumstances, the adoption of your grandchild will relieve you of any grandparents’ rights in Illinois. The adoption process legally severs the relationship between your grandchild and his or her parents, and with that, you as well. If the adoption was by a stepparent or other close relative, the court may consider preserving your right to visitation.
What Our Clients Are Saying
If your connection with your grandchildren has been unfairly restricted, you don’t have to face the legal system alone. Silberman Law Group will stand by your side to protect your rights and your family relationships.
Call (312) 593-0075 to schedule your consultation with David Silberman, trusted Northbrook grandparents’ rights and visitation attorney.