Helping You Evaluate Your Stepparent Adoption Case
Stepparent adoptions (California Family Code §9000-07) are an important way to provide a child with a committed, legal parent to step into the shoes of a deceased, unavailable, or absent biological parent. If you are considering doing a stepparent adoption, you need to consider several very important questions:
- Do I have time and energy to figure this legal process out on my own?
- Do I mind potentially spending several hours over multiple mornings taking documents to the clerk, and having them rejected on annoying or confusing technical grounds, and then fixing them so that they are finally accepted?
- Is another person opposed to the step-parent adoption? If the absent parent or other relative is challenging the adoption, the case becomes significantly more complicated and you will want to consult with an experienced adoption attorney.
- Do the facts clearly point to abandonment by the absent parent? Remember that California Family Code §7821 requires the court to find parental abandonment by clear and convincing evidence (a more difficult-to-prove evidence standard than ordinary California civil cases).
- Do the facts put the continuing bio-parent in a good light? Do they show that he or she has been available and willing to comply with court custody/visitation orders for the absent parent whose rights would be terminated? Or do they show concealment of the child and frustration of visitation rights for the absent parent?
Contact Us Today to Discuss Stepparent Adoption
If you are concerned about any of the above questions as applied to your case, and want to reduce the stress of dealing with court clerks and officials on your own, please give our adoption law firm a call for a consultation.
Gary, Till, Burlingham & Lynch has assisted and represented adopting parents in more than 100 cases over 30 years of practice. Please call us at 916-304-5691 or send us an email