Adoption
Adoption is a profound and joyous way to create or expand your family, providing a permanent legal relationship between parent and child. Whether you are a stepparent, relative, or prospective adoptive parent, the adoption process involves important legal steps to ensure the best interests of the child are protected.
At WPFL, we understand that adoption is not only a legal process but also an emotional journey. Our experienced family law attorneys guide you through every stage with compassion, clarity, and attention to detail to help you achieve a successful adoption.
Types of Adoption We Handle:
- Stepparent Adoption: Facilitates a stepparent’s desire to legally adopt their spouse’s child, often streamlining custody and parental rights issues.
- Relative Adoption: Enables relatives such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, or adult siblings to adopt a child when biological parents are unable or unwilling to care for them.
- Adult Adoption: Legal adoption of an adult, often to formalize parent-child relationships or secure inheritance rights.
The Adoption Process:
- Petition for Adoption: Filing the necessary paperwork with the court to begin the adoption process.
- Parental Consent or Termination: Securing consent from biological parents or obtaining termination of parental rights when necessary.
- Home Studies and Background Checks: Required in many adoption cases to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for the child.
- Court Hearings: Presenting the case for adoption to a judge who will issue the final order granting the adoption.
- Finalization: Legalizing the parent-child relationship with full rights and responsibilities.