When Adoption Is The Way You’re Building Your Family

Nearly any family law attorney will say that adoption is one of the happiest areas of family law. It is a time of hope and optimism in many families. New parents find fulfillment through parenting children by choice. Newly adopted children enjoy lasting security within a solid family unit they can call their own. The concept of adoption is familiar to most people, but in practice, it can involve a number of different scenarios, including:

• Stepparent adoption
• Adoption by same-sex partners of their partners’ biological children
• Adoption by grandparents, aunts and uncles or other relatives
• Privately arranged adoptions
• Adoption of orphans
• Adoption of foster children by their foster parents
• U.S.-side adoption of children already adopted overseas by American parents (international adoption)
• Adoption by married couples
• Adoption by single parents-to-be

In many such cases, adoption means that new parents are formalizing already established nurturing relationships. In other cases, such as in the adoption of a newborn, parents and a child first become acquainted around the time of the adoption. The path to adoption is often the culmination of strategic and legal processes, including:

• Searching for a child or children and/or adapting to the arrival of a child into one’s home and family life
• Terminating parental rights of biological parents, if they are still living
• Arranging for home studies and other legal requirements
• Preparing to formalize an adoption in a courtroom

At Miller Sachs & Hess, PC in Crown Point, Indiana, our family law attorneys have helped many parents navigate the legal processes of adoption. Whatever your family situation, we welcome the opportunity to advise you on how to make your dream of adoption become a reality.

Could You Complete An Adoption Without A Lawyer’s Help?

In some situations, people try to complete adoptions through direct interactions with agencies or courts, without the assistance of an attorney. We do not recommend this route, in large part because of complications we know can arise. The process of adoption can be overwhelming to most people who have never gone through it. Many people do not understand the legal aspects of adoption or how to avoid or resolve problems along the way. We understand clients’ concerns about potential problems such as:

• Concerns about preparing to pass the test of a home study
• Worries about long-absent biological parents resisting relinquishment of their parental rights or being hard to find
• Worries about birth mothers changing their minds when a private adoption has been planned during pregnancy
• Worries about how to help a child overcome residual effects of trauma they may have been through

We have experience confronting these and other challenges along the road to adoption, and can advise you on how to overcome them. We are confident of our ability to help you accomplish your goal, barring unforeseen difficulties. We can advocate for you and help your new family in the unlikely event that troubles may come up afterward. If complications arise before or after an adoption, we are confident we can help you resolve any uncertainties or disputes.

Let’s Talk About Your Adoption Aspirations

Contacting a lawyer early in the process of seeking a child or needing advice is a smart move. For decades, Miller Sachs & Hess, PC has been a trusted name in family law practice in northwest Indiana. Our law firm offers open doors, convenient consultations and cost-efficient legal services. To schedule your first meeting at our offices on U.S. 41, just one mile south of U.S. 30, call 219-227-4259 or email us through this website.