Grandparents Rights in Oklahoma
Can You File for a Guardianship in Oklahoma Without a Lawyer?
By design guardianships are supposed to be a vehicle that a non-lawyer can use in an emergency situation or in a situation where a parent is unfit or unavailable to take care of a child. Now just because it's designed to work that way doesn't mean it works that way in reality and specifically recently there's been a lot of changes to the law concerning guardianships. Read more »Do Both Parents Need To Agree to an Oklahoma Guardianship?
Now, generally speaking, parents don't have to sign off on a guardianship. If they're objecting to it, which is common, they actually have the opportunity to go into court and contest the guardianship, and saying, "No, I am available," or, "I am fit and we do not believe that a guardianship is necessary in this case." But in situations where parents actually do agree that a guardianship is necessary, say for instance, in a situation where a parent has a drug addiction that they're working on and they know that in the meantime while they're in the grips of this addiction, it makes sense for someone else to step up and take care of the child. And that parent would likely consent to a guardianship for the best interest of that child, the best thing for the child. Read more »Will COVID-19 Impact Oklahoma Family Law Cases?
Generally speaking if you have a paternity or a divorce case, it is going to be delayed for a while likely through the middle of May and possibly even later. Details are coming out every single day and the situation is changing rapidly. But generally speaking you can expect some delays. The only family matters that are being considered by the court right now are emergencies. So if you have a situation where a child is being exposed to an imminent threat of physical harm or neglect, then you should absolutely reach out to your attorney and see about filing an emergency, even in the midst of the shutdown and the crisis. Other than those emergency cases, all matters are being continued out and it is likely that you won't be getting in front of a judge anytime soon. Read more »