questions & answers

Question: My son had a girlfriend that is having a baby any day. The girlfriend has been with us and under our care untill recently. She has grown up in a unstable and unsafe and abusive living environment. The mother who has custody recently came back into her life with her boyfriend that use to molest the girl I'm speaking of. The girl was living with her great grandma and they moved onto the property and she feels unsafe there and they made her go back . When she had her baby can she and my son sign a pepper giving me legal custody of the baby untill they are 18 . Please help asap. Thank you.

Answer: A guardianship is done through the Court.  Having 2 minors sign a paper is not enough.  You can go to an attorney and have the papers drawn up to apply for a guardianship or you can handle it yourself.  To handle the guardianship on your own, go to the website for the Superior Court for the State of Arizona, then go to the self-help center.  Download the forms required for guardianship of a minor.  If you need advice before starting, there are 3 programs in Arizona that you can use to get some inexpensive legal advice and guidance.  One is the Modest Means Program.  For a $75.00 fee, the Modest Means Program will arrange a one hour consult with an experienced attorney.  The telephone number is (866) 637-5341. Both the Maricopa County Bar Association and the Pima County Bar Association have lawyer referral services that offer a 30 minute consult with an experienced attorney.  Maricopa County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute consultation for a fee of $40.00. The telephone number is (602) 257-4434.  Pima County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute consultation for a fee of $35.00.  The telephone number is (520) 623-4625.