Grandparent & Family Member Visitation — Standing, Harm Standard & Drafting Court-Ready Pleadings

Grandparent & Family Member Visitation — Standing, Harm Standard & Drafting Court-Ready Pleadings

Grandparent visitation cases are high-stakes and highly scrutinized because they sit at the intersection of a parent’s constitutional rights and a child’s welfare. This class teaches you how to evaluate whether a visitation request is legally viable under O.C.G.A. § 19-7-3, and how to draft, support, and manage these cases in a way that meets the statute’s demanding burden of proof and procedural guardrails.

You’ll learn who qualifies as a “family member” and when a grandparent may file an original action versus when a family member must intervene in an existing custody-related case. We’ll break down the statute’s clear and convincing evidence standard—specifically how to prove the child’s health or welfare would be harmed without visitation, and how to connect that proof to the best interests analysis. We will also cover how to develop the “preexisting relationship”…