We would be privileged to you help expand your family
If you are making the decision to add to your family through adoption services, allow the licensed professional at The Dorsey Law Firm assist you with all of your legal adoption needs. We can help you to receive the legal rights as if the child were born to you.
Adoption in Houston, Texas
Successful adoptions are often viewed as the wholesome, joyful part of Family Law. The thought of extending a family through adoption is affirming and inspirational. But families who need to initiate and complete the adoption process may not know where to start. Although the journey's end, a successful adoption, is promising, the road to get there can be overwhelming to prospective parents. The Dorsey Law Firm will help you navigate through the complexities to the special day when your adoption is finalized.
Your relationship with your adopted child might have started with foster care placement or when you married the child's biological parent. Regardless of how the relationship began, if you have been the child's caretaker for a lengthy period and you want to adopt, you can benefit from speaking to a professional who can answer your questions and evaluate your facts in light of the Texas Family Code.
What is a Stepparent adoption?
Stepparent adoption is the process by which a stepparent acquires all the rights and duties of a biological parent. Becoming a stepparent is a permanent and very serious undertaking. Even if the step parent and the biological parent's marriage ends in divorce, the step parent who completed the adoption process in Texas remains a parent with all the duties and rights of any other parent, including the obligation to support the child financially. Two steps are entailed in the step parent adoption process: an initial termination and then an adoption. In the instance of a step parent's adoption, one of the biological parent's rights must be terminated. The relinquishment of parental rights may be voluntary or involuntary. When you contact The Dorsey Law Firm, you will get the opportunity to discuss whether a parent's rights have already been terminated by the State due to neglect or abuse, how that standard of best interest of a child affects whether a termination and adoption is granted, and what requirements are a part of the process. At the Dorsey Law Firm, we use a checklist. Contact us and we will go over the checklist with you.
What are the steps to adopting in Houston, Texas?
When you contact The Dorsey Law Firm, we will explain in detail, the process of adoption. The following is a broad overview of the process:
A pre-adoptive home study – A licensed professional social worker compiles information about you as a prospective adoptive parent in order to
provide the Court with the detailed information the Court needs to decide if your adoption is in the child's/children's best interest. Some of the
critical components or parts of the licensed social worker's home study include:
- A Meeting or Interview with you;
- Background checks including a criminal history and child abuse check;
- Contact with friends, family, and the child.
Termination of Parental Rights – Termination of parental rights can be voluntary, but may be involuntary as well. In some instances the process is completely uncontested and one or both of the child's biological parents is/are in agreement with the adoption taking place. In the instance of a step parent's adoption, one of the biological parents' rights must be terminated. The Dorsey Law Firm will help you determine if a voluntary or involuntary termination applies in your particular situation. Final Adoption – The adoption process ends in court with a Judge hearing and reviewing the evidence compiled throughout the adoption process. Some of the critical components or parts of the Final stages of adoption are:
- The appointment of an amicus or ad litem attorney. The purpose of the amicus or ad litem attorney is to insure the adoption is in the best interest of the child or children.
- Name Change. The adoption process may include the change of the child's last name to reflect that of the adoptive parent or family who is adopted.
If you are seeking an Adoption Lawyer in Houston, contact us today, you will get important questions answered and move in the direction of securing a reliable attorney to assist you with your plans to adopt.
To speak with A Caring, Knowledgeable Family Law Attorney or to schedule an in person consultation with A Caring, Knowledgeable Family Law Attorney, call (713) 588-4414, or e-mail us. We look forward to answering your questions and assisting you with your legal concerns. We welcome your comments on how we can provide more efficient, caring family law advice, so send us your feedback on how we can improve.
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The information available on this site does not constitute legal advice. Contacting our law firm via this website does not establish an attorney-client relationship unless an attorney-client relationship has been established via formal agreement between you and us.