How can my friend gain custody of her grandchildren in New York state?

The statute for grandparent custody/visitation rights in New York State is not favorable to your friend. It will be very hard, under these facts,...

In new York state, if a non custodial parent has not seen or called his child in over 14 months is it considered abandonment?

You can file in Family Court to alter the custody arrangement but, like Ms. Bovee said, it might not be worth the trouble because you have defacto...

How can you become emancipated?

While your boyfriend could file in Family Court to be declared emancipated, he will need to show (among other things) that he fully supports...

Do judges take the opinion of the child's law guardian into consideration more then anyone else?

This will really depend on the judge assigned to your case. Technically, "law guardians" are now "attorneys for the children" and, as such, hold...

When the Court determines a custody case, they must make a decision that is based upon a consideration of the child's "best interest." This "best...