Expert legal help with parental rights and responsibilities
Parental rights and responsibilities allow parents to make decisions about their child’s life. This includes the child’s name, the child’s religion, where the child lives and which school the child will go to. Parental rights remain in force until the child is 16. However the responsibility on a parent to provide guidance to a child exists until the child reaches 18.
Who has parental rights and responsibilities?
A child’s mother automatically has full parental rights and responsibilities when the child is born.
A child’s father gains parental rights and responsibilities if he is married to the child’s mother at the time the child is born or if he is registered as the child’s father on the child’s birth certificate, providing the child was born after 4th June 2006.
If a father does not automatically have parental rights and responsibilities the parties can confer these upon him by signing an agreement. Alternatively parental rights and responsibilities can be awarded to him by a court.
A guardian who has been legally appointed by a parent has full parental rights and responsibilities on that parent’s death.
Anyone can apply for a court order to seek rights and responsibilities relating to a child if they can claim an interest in the welfare of the child. This can include grandparents, siblings, step-parents or, perhaps more unusually, a close friend of a parent.
Parental rights and responsibilities can be removed by a court if the welfare of a child is not served by either or both parents.
Costs and Fixed Fees
We offer all new clients a free 10 minute telephone call with one of our solicitors to discuss how we can help.
Your first meeting with one of our experienced family law solicitors is then set at a fixed fee of £320+VAT.
We follow up with considered options and detailed costs on the most appropriate and cost-effective way to proceed.
Frequently asked questions to consider…
Wise words from Beverley
“Whatever you agree about how best your children are cared for, it’s worth noting that it may not still be best for them a few years later. Always be open to the idea that relationships, opportunities and circumstances can change and that what was decided, even by a court, at a certain moment in time may not necessarily be in the child’s best interests until they are sixteen years of age.”
We can help you right now
Our commitment to provide you with the best possible advice includes a free initial phone call with one of our experts. This allows us to fully prepare for your first meeting which we always offer at a fixed fee rate.
We understand that seeking Family Law advice can be daunting. However, when you get in touch with us, you will find a tailored, highly personal and reassuring approach which will empower you to take back control.
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Here to help in a full range of family legal matters…
A stitch in time – consider investing in an agreement to reflect what you both want to happen financially, should your relationship come to an end.
Sort it without court costs – these contracts regulate your separation. From your children to financial matters, these allow you to proceed to an undefended divorce.
Sometimes you need smart experienced lawyers to guide you through the complex legal system to help you deal with the end of your marriage, and to ensure a fair division of all matrimonial property.
Your children are your absolute priority so they are our priority too. We can work hard to help you in all disputes about Parental Rights and Responsibilities including residence and contact.
The law offers limited protection for cohabitees, governed by strict rules. We can make sure you receive a fair deal at the end of your relationship.
At your most vulnerable, we will make sure you and your family is protected.