Termination of Parental Rights

Termination of Parental Rights

Termination of a parent’s rights is the most extreme remedy in custody disputes. In order to file a private termination action, the parent has to prove that the other parent is extremely unfit, not likely to change and that it would be better for the child to have no relationship with the parent at all.

These cases are very difficult to prove because parents have fundamental rights protected by the United States Constitution to have a relationship with their child. The parent whose rights may be terminated as well as the child or children are entitled to a court-appointed lawyer, often at no cost or a reduced fee.

The parent filing the termination action does not have a court-appointed attorney and must pay out-of-pocket for the attorney to file the termination action. If you are considering such an extreme remedy or someone is attempting to terminate your parental rights, we can discuss the case in detail in our initial free consultation and you can get an idea of what you are up against.