JG
Biography
If you’re being shut out of your grandchildren’s lives whether because of family conflict, your adult child’s divorce, a parent’s death, or a falling out with the people now controlling access, the pain runs deep in ways that are hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t experienced it. You watched these children come into the world. You’ve been part of birthdays, holidays, ordinary afternoons. Now that connection is being severed, and you’re left wondering whether there’s anything the law can do to help you maintain a relationship that matters enormously to you and, quite possibly, to those grandchildren as well.
A San Jose, CA grandparents rights lawyer can help you understand whether you qualify for visitation under California law and guide you through the process of petitioning the court for contact. Schank Family Law has handled family law matters throughout California for more than twenty years, including grandparent visitation petitions, custody disputes involving extended family members, and guardianship cases where grandparents step in because the parents simply cannot provide what their children need. We understand both what the law requires and how much these relationships mean to the people fighting to preserve them.
Grandparent cases sit at a difficult intersection of family law, you’re trying to maintain a relationship with children who aren’t yours, which means you have to navigate around parents’ rights while making the case that contact with you actually serves those children’s best interests. Christian Schank founded this firm more than twenty years ago, and throughout that time he has represented grandparents in situations ranging from relatively cooperative arrangements that just needed formal documentation to contested litigation where parents were actively trying to sever grandparent relationships entirely.
Christian earned his law degree from University of La Verne College of Law and has maintained active membership with the California State Bar since 2003. He holds an AV rating from Martindale along with Lead Counsel Verified status for family law, credentials reflecting his professional standing over a career spent handling custody, visitation, guardianship, and related matters. His grandparent cases have included petitions filed after an adult child’s death left surviving grandparents fighting to maintain contact with grandchildren, situations where divorce created conflict that spilled over onto extended family relationships, and guardianship proceedings where grandparents stepped in because substance abuse or other problems left the parents unable to care for their children.
What our family lawyer in San Jose, CA has learned over two decades is that grandparent cases require a careful balance of legal strategy and relationship awareness. Going to court creates conflict, and that conflict can make future family relationships harder rather than easier. Sometimes the best approach involves negotiation and mediation that preserves the possibility of cooperation. Other times, the other side won’t budge and litigation becomes necessary to protect a relationship that children genuinely need. Knowing which approach fits which situation and being capable of executing both effectively comes from experience.