Rene Cespedes, lawyers in Bellevue, WA, Washington

Post-Adoption Contact with Grandparents

Traditionally grandparents were generally assumed to have no legal standing to seek visitation or custody of their grandchildren over the objection of the children's parents. Occasionally, a court exercising the state's parens patriae power would place a child with a grandparent when a parent died, was abusive, or was otherwise incapacitated. When parental fitness had not been challenged, however, both common law and constitutional precedents supported the right of parents to determine whether or not their children could spend time with grandparents.More...

Adoption

An adoption is a legal process by which a person who is not a child's biological parent obtains all of the legal rights and responsibilities of the child's biological parents. More...

Adoption by a Same-Sex Couple

Any couple that choses to adopt a child must go through a rigorous background check. Often times, it may take many months or years for an adoption to be successfully completed. Although some states permit single individuals to adopt children, most states do not permit the adoption of a child by a same-sex couple. More...

Marriage of Underage Children

In most states, a person must be 18 in order to marry; however, in many states a minor 15 years or older may get married with legal permission from a parent or guardian. You have to be 16 to get married with parental consent in the State of New York. If you are under 16, you need a court order giving you permission to marry. More...

Self-representation In a Divorce Action

There is no requirement that parties to a divorce action hire an attorney to represent them during the divorce proceedings. Either party or both parties may represent themselves during their divorce proceedings. Whether one chooses to represent themselves or hire an attorney, is a personal choice. One should weigh the advantages and disadvantages involved in self-representation.More...