Category Archives: Non-Parent Rights

EMBRACING CHANGE

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“Change is constant.  For some people, especially those who come from bigger companies, the constant change can be somewhat unsettling at first.  We must all learn not only to not fear change, but to embrace it enthusiastically and, perhaps even more important, to encourage and drive it.  We must always plan for and be prepared for constant change . . . Never accept or be too comfortable with the status quo, because the companies that get into trouble are historically the ones that aren’t able to adapt to change and respond quickly enough.”


Tony Hsieh
CEO of Zappos.com
from the book, “Delivering Happiness”


The need to embrace change applies to all of us, in both our personal lives and at work.   Over the years, the practice of law has seen enormous changes.  The  most successful lawyers are the ones who not only accept, but embrace, change.  Our attorney, Gary Frank, remains on the “cutting-edge” of Family Law by staying up to date with the latest statutes passed by the Arizona Legislature, and by studying the new decisions handed down by the Supreme Court and Appellate Courts.  He improves his knowledge of the law by attending continuing legal education courses on a regular basis throughout the year.  And he hones his courtroom skills by using the very best litigation practices and strategies.

Many law firms are locked into a particular office location that is often difficult or inconvenient for clients to visit.  But modern advances in technology, such as networked computers, laptops, tablets, smart phones, and the internet, have allowed lawyers to become “road warriors” and provide top-notch representation while being more accessible to their clients.  Therefore, the Law Offices of Gary J. Frank are conveniently located throughout the Valley — in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Tempe, and the prestigious Biltmore area of Phoenix — in order to better serve our clients.      

Yes, change is, indeed, constant; and our ability to embrace change has enabled us to be successful.  But, just as importantly,  our attorney, Gary Frank, is also known for embodying qualities that are timeless and enduring:  Experience; Excellence; Integrity; Strong Advocacy; Common Sense; and and a Commitment to always putting his clients first.  We are a modern law firm with old fashioned values.  That’s what sets us apart.

Our attorney, Gary Frank, has been a courtroom litigator in the Family Law arena for over thirty years, and is a strong and committed advocate for his clients.  In addition to being a litigation attorney, Mr. Frank has acted in the capacity of a Judge Pro Tem in the Maricopa County Superior Court.  This has given him an understanding of the inner-workings of the court, and a unique perspective  that most attorneys lack.  He has also acted, for many years, as a professional mediator of Family Law disputes.   We handle a full range of Family Law matters, including divorce, custody, spousal and child support, division of property and assets, modification and enforcement actions, as well paternity/maternity cases, grandparent or non-parent custody and visitation actions, and relocation/move-away cases.  If you are in need of a consultation regarding any area of Family Law, please do not hesitate to give our office a call today at 602-383-3610; or feel free to contact us through our web site at www.garyfranklaw.com; or by email at [email protected]   We look forward to hearing from you.

ATTORNEY FEE AWARDS – Restoring the Balance of Power

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If you are involved in a divorce and/or custody case and are afraid that you don’t have the financial resources to stand up and fight for your rights, here’s the good news — Attorney Fee Awards, under Arizona law, are the great equalizer.
It is not uncommon, in a divorce or custody case, for one party to have a much higher earning capacity than the other party.  Sometimes the party with the greater earning ability will use that power as a hammer, bullying the poorer party with threats or making her/him spend money on litigation until those resources are exhausted.  “You don’t have the money to fight me, so you might as well take what I’m offering.”  That’s a familiar refrain in Family Court cases.  But know this:  If you are the party with the lesser resources in a divorce or custody matter, you do not have to allow yourself to be “steamrolled.”  Arizona has laws that can help you level the playing-field, so that you can assert your legal rights.
Arizona Revised Statutes, Section 25-324 provides that “The court from time to time, after considering the financial resources of both parties and the reasonableness of the positions each party has taken throughout the proceeding, may order a party to pay a reasonable amount to the other party for the costs and expenses of maintaining or defending (the litigation).”
What this means is that the judge can force the party with the greater resources to pay the poorer party a reasonable amount to cover his/her attorney fees and litigation expenses.  The poorer party can file a motion for an award of attorney fees at the beginning of the case, or at any other stage of the proceeding.  It can be done more than once, if necessary.  The judge will set a hearing date and the party will be able come into court to explain why she or he is in need of help paying attorney fees.  If there is a significant disparity of income or resources between the parties, or if one party has been bullying the other or acting unreasonably, then the judge has the authority to make an attorney fee award.
Another statute, A.R.S., Section 403.08, provides that “(A) In a proceeding regarding sole custody or joint custody, either party may request attorney fees, costs and expert witness fees to enable the party with insufficient resources to obtain adequate legal representation and to prepare evidence for the hearing; (B) If the court finds there is a financial disparity between the parties, the court may order payment of reasonable fees, expenses and costs to allow adequate preparation.”

This statute is similar to A.R.S., 25-324 but applies to non-divorce cases involving custody, such as Modification of Custody actions, Paternity, Grandparent, and Non-Parent custody matters, etc.

The Arizona Courts have explained that the purpose of the statutes allowing the court to make an attorney fee award is to provide a remedy for the party least able to pay; and to insure that the poorer party has the means to litigate the action free of the other’s hold on the family finances.

By making an award of attorney fees in a divorce and/or custody case, the court can place the parties on a level playing-field and restore the balance of power.

If you are in need of help in your divorce or custody case, contact our office today.  You can call us at 602-383-3610 or email us through our web site at https://www.garyfranklaw.com/.

GRANDPARENTS’ RIGHTS – Are You Being Deprived of Visitation With Your Grandchildren?

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There is nothing more heartbreaking than a grandparent who is not allowed to have contact with the grandchildren, especially during the holidays.  The relationship between a child and his or her grandparent is a special kind of bond, one that cannot be replaced.  For a grandparent to be unfairly “cut out of the picture” can be devastating for both the grandparent and the child.
Arizona law provides that grandparents do have a legal right to visitation with their grandchildren under certain circumstances.  Arizona Revised Statutes, Section 25-409 spells out the criteria that the courts use to determine whether grandparent visitation would be appropriate in a particular case; and the appellate courts have published cases which interpret the statute and provide guidance to help the trial judge make a decision.
There is a presumption that a fit parent’s decision to deny or limit visitation was made in the child’s best interests.  However, that presumption can be rebutted by evidence to the contrary.
A.R.S., Section 25-409(A) provides that “The superior court may grant the grandparents of the child reasonable visitation rights . . . on a finding that the visitation rights would be in the best interests of the child and any of the following is true:
1.                  The marriage of the parents of the child has been dissolved for at least three months.
2.                  A parent of the child has been deceased or has been missing for at least three months . . .
3.                  The child was born out of wedlock.
Section (C) of the statute provides that “In determining the child’s best interests the court shall consider all relevant factors, including:
1.                  The historical relationship, if any, between the child and person seeking visitation.
2.                  The motivation of the requesting party in seeking visitation.
3.                  The motivation of the person denying visitation.
4.                  The quantity of visitation time requested and the potential adverse impact that visitation will have on the child’s customary activities.
5.                  If one or both of the child’s parents are dead, the benefit in maintaining an extended family relationship.
To obtain court-ordered visitation over the objection of a parent, the grandparent must fall within one of the three categories listed in Section A of the statute, above; and the grandparent must be able to prove that visitation would be in the child’s best interests.  If the grandparent can demonstrate that he/she has maintained regular contact and has a loving and appropriate relationship with the child, then the prospect of obtaining visitation is greatly enhanced.  When one of the parents has died, the Court will give special consideration to protecting the relationship between the child and the deceased parent’s family.
The Arizona courts have ruled that while a trial judge has considerable discretion in shaping a grandparent visitation order, the court is not free to simply second-guess the decision of a fit parent as to visitation rights.  Where a parent has agreed to allow some reasonable contact between the grandparents and the children – even if it is not as much time as the grandparents would like – the courts will usually not interfere with the parent’s decision.  On the other hand, where a parent refuses to allow any contact at all, the Court has the power to step in and order the parent to let the grandparents spend time with their grandchildren on a regularly scheduled basis.
These are difficult and complex cases.   If you are in need of a grandparents’ rights attorney – or if you are a parent who believes that contact with a grandparent would be potentially harmful to your child – then do not hesitate to contact the law firm of Gary J. Frank P.C. for a consultation.  You can reach us by telephone at 602-383-3610 or by email through our website at https://www.garyfranklaw.com/.   Contact us today.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT FOR 2012

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Here is our mission statement for the new year: 
Gary Frank is a Family Law Attorney who cares about his clients.  Whether they are going through a divorce, or dealing with contested custody or other family law issues, we understand that our clients are in the midst of a difficult period in their lives.  By accepting their case, we have made a commitment to be there for our clients; to help them, to support them, and to fight for them.  We will apply the legal knowledge, litigation skills, and powers of persuasion, gained over thirty years of Family Law experience, to tenaciously protect our clients’ interests.  Mr. Frank will work with each client to creatively explore options for settling the dispute in a healthy, amicable, and inexpensive manner if possible.  These options could include the use of mediation, settlement conferences, collaborative divorce, or other dispute resolution measures.  However, if a fair settlement cannot be achieved,  then Mr. Frank can always be counted on to aggressively assert his clients’ rights, utilizing the skills he has honed over his many years as a courtroom litigator.  Our goal is to protect our clients; to preserve their relationship with their children; to assure that they receive a fair division of assets; and, when necessary, to obtain the financial support they need to provide for a secure future.   Gary Frank will continue to be a caring, compassionate attorney, and a fierce advocate for the best interests of his clients.

Gary Frank is a Family Law Attorney with over 30 years of experience in the areas of domestic relations, divorce, custody, division of property, support, modification actions, enforcement actions, Grandparents and non-parents rights, and all other matters pertaining to families and children.  If you are in need of a consultation, please do not hesitate to call our office at 602-383-3610; or you can contact us by email at [email protected], or through our website at www.garyfranklaw.com.   We look forward to hearing from you.

A ONE-TIME CONSULTATION WITH AN ATTORNEY CAN REALLY HELP

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Filing for divorce on your own can be overwhelming.  Wading through the court-approved forms may be confusing and is often an exercise in futility.  What are my legal rights? What should I ask for? How does the court process work?  How do I know I’m doing this correctly?  There is so much at stake:  Division of property and debts, custody, parenting time, child support, spousal maintenance.  Handling any one of these issues improperly could mean the difference between a future of relative comfort or years of suffering.  When the divorce is done, it’s done.  You have one chance to get it right.  Undoing a mistake is difficult and, sometimes, impossible. 

Document preparers can help you fill out paperwork but they’re not trained in the law.  They’re prohibited from providing legal advice.  Lawyers, on the other hand, have the benefit of many years of legal training and continuing education.  They are well-versed in the law; they understand the divorce process and can help you understand what is best for you.


But what if your divorce is simple, or you just can’t afford ongoing legal representation?  Even if you’ve decided to represent yourself, you can still benefit from an attorney’s advice — and chances are that the expense is less than you imagined.  You can use an attorney as a counselor, an adviser, a guide to help you through the legal process.

A one-time consultation with an attorney is relatively inexpensive, and it can help tremendously.  In a single meeting, the lawyer can assist you in filling out the paperwork.  He or she can help you understand your legal rights, and explain what you need to do to request a hearing, obtain financial information, or get a trial date.  The lawyer can formulate a game plan, answer your questions, and help you navigate through the sticky and sometimes complicated issues involved in a Family Law case.  Don’t just assume that you can’t afford legal advice.  Call for a one-time consultation.  You may be surprised at how affordable it is — and how much it helps.




Gary Frank is an Arizona Family Law Attorney with more than 30 years of experience in handling cases involving divorce, custody, parenting time, child support, spousal maintenance, division of property, grandparent and non-parent rights, and all other matters relating to family law.  If you would like a consultation, feel free to contact us at 602-383-3610 or by email at [email protected]  To find out more about our firm, take a look at our website at www.garyfranklaw.com.

It’s easier than you may think, and less expensive, too.