By Barbara King

For grandparents, the relationship with a grandchild can be one of the most important things in the world. But what happens when the child’s parents prevent you from seeing or having a relationship with them? 

Sometimes, the only recourse left to grandparents is to petition for grandparents’ visitation rights from Family Court. But do grandparents have visitation rights in New York? 

Visitation rights vary from state to state, but generally speaking, grandparents’ visitation rights are not as extensive as those granted to the child’s biological or adopted parents. But grandparents do have a statutory right to petition for visitation, even if the child’s parents are unmarried, have been legally divorced or one is deceased.

These limited rights to visitation are not extended to aunts and uncles, great-grandparents, or other family members, except in circumstances where the child’s natural parents and grandparents have both passed away, or are otherwise legally barred from access to the child. Adoption is not a barrier to a biological grandparent’s rights to request visitation, but the child’s best interest, including health, safety, and welfare are the primary considerations.

What if the custodial parent is opposed?

The state of New York recognizes that a child’s parents have the fundamental right to raise their children in the manner they feel is best for the child, including who is or is not allowed to visit with them. As such, a Family Court will grant visitation rights to grandparents who have an already established relationship and/or have been denied access to their grandchild if it is deemed by the court to be in the child’s best interests.

By Sara Mannix

Artificial Intelligence is already being used daily in marketing agencies to conduct buyer persona research, data analysis, create designs and edit photography, and even build code. 

As of this early stage, we have decided that while AI has its strengths, it works best when complementing the skills of a proficient marketer. I share the viewpoint of my colleague Karl Sakas, who aptly stated, “Anyone can create average work with AI. But if you want above-average work, you’ll need humans using AI.”

In the future, I envision AI playing a central role in streamlining various tasks within a marketing agency. For instance, my personal AI assistant would notify me of scheduled calls, such as an upcoming appointment I have with Alessandra in Italy. It would conduct research on Alessandra, her business, and her industry, providing me with valuable information before the call. 

AI would enable real-time translation, voice mimicry, and visual alterations during the video call to ensure seamless communication. Once the call concludes, an email follow-up would be automatically generated, summarizing the meeting takeaways and next steps. These action items would also be added to my task management system and scheduled accordingly. Furthermore, I could delegate the task of writing a proposal to my AI assistant, which would send it on my behalf. Once engaged, the billing process would also be automated by AI.

In the creative department, the collaboration between the creative director and an AI designer would expedite the process of designing logos, taglines, branding colors, messaging pillars, and website concepts, all optimized to Google’s strictest standards. With the assistance of AI, the design process could be accomplished within hours as opposed to days. Subsequently, the website engineer would work alongside a coding assistant, utilizing AI to expedite the website development process, reducing it from months to hours.

By Dorothy Rogers-Bullis

If you’re feeling some whiplash with your professional work style and setting, you’re likely not alone. We went from working a traditional five-day workweek in-person in the office, to working a hybrid schedule, to going fully remotely during the pandemic, to today when many companies are requiring that employees return to the office either full-time or for part of the week. It’s been a whirlwind few years.

With this return to the office, companies are looking for fast solutions to upgrade their existing office or outfit new commercial space. They recognize that employees who have grown accustomed to working from the comfort of home need an incentive to come back into the office, which can include updated work spaces.

In addition to that, with the tight labor market, top talent is in high demand. Companies need to put their best foot forward to entice these prospective employees to join their ranks. These human-centric factors, among others, are contributing to the rise of one of today’s hottest office trends: digital component construction. And one of the industry leaders in this popular trend by storm is Falkbuilt.

Digital component construction from Falkbuilt blends the speed of off-site component fabrication with the precision of digital design. Customize walls, doors, offices—whatever your creative vision is for your commercial space.

But these aren’t the low-quality, prefab materials you might be imagining. This is high-design and construction that is built to last. Falkbuilt uses sustainable and recycled materials, reinforced with steel, so it is strong yet less expensive to produce and assemble than a traditional sheetrock commercial interior. Falkbuilt materials also prioritize safety, featuring a one-hour fire rating.