Art. 1265 Motion; filing

If you are a grandparent and you want the court to give you visitation rights with your grandchild after an adoption, you must ask for it the right way. You cannot just show up in court or make a verbal request. You need to write out a formal motion asking for limited visitation rights.

This written request has to go to a specific court: the same court that handled the final adoption decree for the child. You cannot file it in a different court or with a different judge. Filing it in the right place with the adoption records helps make sure the judge who already knows the details of the case is the one who reviews your request.

If you're a grandparent thinking about asking for visitation, talk to a lawyer who handles family law. They can help you write the motion correctly and file it with the right court so your request gets a fair hearing.