Wiley Rein Attorneys Successfully Assist Client in Pro Bono Custody Case

May 17, 2012

Wiley Rein attorneys recently assisted a grandmother in obtaining an order granting her permanent legal and physical custody of her three granddaughters.

In the Fall of 2011, a mother of three young girls passed away due to illness. With the father of the eldest girl deceased and the father of the youngest two girls incarcerated, the three children faced an uncertain future.  The girls’ maternal grandmother stepped in and brought the children to live with her in her home.  The client then sought a court order granting her custody.

Several challengers sought to prevent the grandmother from obtaining custody of the girls, including the incarcerated father of the two youngest girls.  Wiley Rein attorneys Henry R. Gola and J. Andrew Law, under the supervision of Theodore A. Howard, represented the grandmother before the D.C. Family Court and successfully guided her through the process of facing the challengers that would deny her custody.  The court ultimately determined that it was in the best interests of the children that the grandmother have custody moving forward.  Accordingly, the court entered a permanent order granting the grandmother sole legal and physical custody of the children.