Adoption Attorney Serving Montgomery County
For many families, particularly stepparents who are already helping raise a child, the emotional relationship is established long before the adoption process begins. The adoption proceeding gives that relationship full legal recognition.
Christina J. Corr, P.C. assists families in Montgomery County with private stepparent and adult adoptions. We explain what is required, prepare the necessary court documents and help families move through the process as efficiently as possible.
Stepparent Adoption
Stepparent adoption is one of the most common types of adoption we handle.
A stepparent may already be functioning as a parent by helping with school, financial support, medical care, activities and everyday responsibilities. Adoption can provide legal permanence to that relationship and give the stepparent the same parental rights and responsibilities as a biological parent.
The process depends in part on the legal status and involvement of the child’s other biological parent.
Consent and Parental Rights
Before an adoption can be completed, the rights of an existing parent need to be addressed.
Sometimes a biological parent agrees to the adoption and voluntarily consents to the termination of his or her parental rights. In other cases, it may be necessary to ask the court to terminate parental rights under Pennsylvania law.
These are different legal procedures, and the circumstances of the family determine which process is appropriate.
When a Biological Parent Is Absent
An absent or uninvolved parent does not automatically lose parental rights simply because another adult has taken on a parenting role.
If the parent will not consent to the adoption, the court must determine whether there are legal grounds to terminate parental rights involuntarily before the adoption can proceed.
We help families evaluate facts and history carefully before filing, including the parent’s contact with the child, involvement in the child’s life and other circumstances relevant under Pennsylvania law.
What Happens After Parental Rights Are Addressed?
Once parental rights have been terminated, the adoption can proceed toward finalization.
The court reviews the required paperwork, schedules a hearing, and determines whether the adoption should be granted. When the adoption is finalized, the adoptive parent becomes the child’s legal parent.
For many families, the final hearing is a happy conclusion to a relationship that has already existed in practice.
Adult Adoption
Pennsylvania law also permits adults to be adopted. An adult adoption establishes the adoptee as the legal child of the adopting parent, and provides important inheritance and estate-planning rights. It may be especially meaningful for stepparents, foster parents and other parental figures who have treated the adoptee as their child for many years.
Adult adoption generally presents different issues from the adoption of a minor child and may be considerably simpler because termination of parental rights is not needed.
Making the Legal Process Manageable
Adoption involves specific procedural requirements, birth certificates, court filings and notices. Missing a required step can delay an otherwise straightforward case.
Our role is to identify what needs to happen, explain the process in plain language and take care of the legal details so the family knows what to expect.
We also believe in identifying potential problems early. If consent or termination of parental rights may be contested, it is better to understand that before beginning the adoption process.
Ask a Lawyer
If you are considering a private stepparent or adult adoption, a consultation can help determine what legal steps will be required in your circumstances.
Contact Christina J. Corr, P.C. to discuss an adoption in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
