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Louisiana State Bar
Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization 1993
Baton Rouge Bar Association
United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit
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Generation Gap – When Legal Custody in Favor of a Grandparent is Best

Grandpa and Kids Is third in the nation for the number of children being raised by their grandparents, according to the April 27, 2014 edition of The Advocate. Sometimes grandparents have legal custody of their grandchildren. Sometimes they have de facto custody of them. Sometimes grandparents provide “day care” and “night care” if a parent’s work schedule makes grandchild care a necessity.

There are circumstances where legal custody in favor of a grandparent is important for the child’s benefit. If a parent is absent or works out of state, some form of custody in favor of a grandparent is often necessary in order to register the grandchild in school or obtain medical treatment. Provisional custody by mandate is one way to temporarily confer limited authority on a grandparent (or another person) so that he or she can meet the child’s daily needs. In some cases, grandparents actively seek to remove custody of their grandchildren from their own children because of abuse or neglect.

Grandparents who are responsible for raising their grandchildren often find themselves in financial difficulty with additional mouths to feed and bodies to clothe and shelter. Programs such as Head Start’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren help grandparents with limited financial resources obtain financial assistance. In addition, federal programs such as “Kinship Care” and Baton Rouge’s community development program can provide support. If you are a grandparent raising a grandchild and need official documentation of your authority to act on the child’s behalf, you should consult with a family lawyer.

What Our Clients Say
★★★★★
I highly recommend Louis
I hired Louis to represent me in my custody battle. From the start he was upfront and honest with me, if he said he was going to do something he did it and he never attempted to settle for anything less than what I was asking. He was not afraid to go head to head with opposing counsel which is what we ended up having to do. Thanks to Louis and his experience and knowledge of family law we won our case. I highly recommend Louis and will always use him for my future family Court needs.
Caleb
★★★★★
Brilliant Mind and Excellent Communication
I had no idea how to even look for an attorney when I found myself needing one. Mr. Cosenza is the best attorney I have encountered, and I took a lot of time finding one. He is brilliant in matters of the law. He approached my case from every angle. I am so thankful he was my attorney. I started out knowing absolutely nothing about court related matters. He answered even my smallest questions and guided me through to understand what was best for me and my children. He was excellent in communication with quick replies. He will have all of my recommendations.
Becky
★★★★★
Attorney Cosenza at his craft
My journey with Mr. Cosenza began nearly 3 years ago when I contacted him about divorce proceedings. During our initial consultation he told me exactly what to expect and we discussed cost, which I thought reasonable. After retaining him as my attorney and finalizing my divorce, things became fairly intense during the negotiation of the property settlement; yet he was relentless and tenacious. In the end, we prevailed victorious and everything came together perfectly. Attorney Cosenza always responded in a timely manner to my many calls, emails and texts. He gave clear, detailed, rational explanations of what I could expect. His work on my case has been life changing, in the best way possible. I am forever in his debt.
Sean
★★★★★
He does his very best
Working with Louis Cosenza truly helped to make my very difficult emotional and legal situation feel much more comfortable as I knew his experience and expertise was there to support and guide me. He knows the law and he does his very best to use that knowledge to represent his clients in and out of the courtroom.
Craig
★★★★★
Hands down the best experience I’ve had with a lawyer
I would like to start by saying I am from TX and my ex wife tried to file a judgment in LA. I contacted a number of lawyers that explained to me that this maybe a process that they could look into. I spoke with Mr. Cosenza with his 30 plus year of experience and he assured me this was not going to be a issue. He was very informative on the proceedings that where going to take place. He couldn’t have called it any better. There wasn’t even a need for me to travel to show in court. It is definitely worth a little extra to hire one of the best. I hope I hope won’t be needing his help again but if I do need another lawyer in LA. I won’t hesitate to contact him and he will be my lawyer again.
Michael