Loganville Stepparent Adoption Attorneys
With Additional Offices in Sugar Hill and Lawrenceville
At our metro-Atlanta based law firm, The Wren Law Firm, we successfully help clients in adoption cases. We work hard to make the process as smooth as possible. Our attorneys primarily handle stepparent adoptions, which usually involve terminating the parental rights of the legal parent. This step must be taken even when the biological parents never married — if paternity has been established.
Uncontested Adoptions
Oftentimes, the biological parent agrees to give up his or her parental rights. This means that he or she will no longer be liable for child support or be entitled to visitation. In other cases, the whereabouts of the biological parent are unknown. However, even if the parent wants to relinquish parental rights or cannot be found, Georgia law requires that stepparent adoptions can proceed only after the court officially terminates the mother's or father's legal rights.
Contested Adoptions
In other cases, the biological or legal parent does not wish to give up his or her rights to the child. If he or she is paying child support or has been involved in the child's life, it may be difficult for the stepparent to adopt the spouse's child. However, if the other parent has not been active in the child's life, the objection may be disregarded by the court in light of evidence supporting the child adoption.
Our attorneys investigate to determine whether the biological parent paid child support, exercised visitation rights in the previous 12 months or complied with other court orders. If we believe there are clear grounds for terminating the legal parent's rights, we will proceed with legal action, filing a petition for termination of parental rights with the appropriate court. Once the legal parent's rights are terminated, the adoption can proceed. Our lawyers handle all the details of the adoption, including petitions to change the child's name, if the family desires.
To learn more, please contact our Atlanta adoption lawyers at 888-220-3644 toll free to learn how we can help.
