Sonoma County, California, Adoption Attorney
What makes up a 'family' continues to evolve. At the Law Offices of Carol A. Gorenberg, we believe in working with you to find the best solutions to your needs. If you and your new spouse or partner are considering adoption of the other's children, we can answer your questions about whether this is possible or realistic. While we are strong advocates of children retaining their ties with both birth parents after a relationship has ended, there are some situations in which adoption by a stepparent may be appropriate.
Contact us today to discuss your adoption needs.
Stepparent Adoptions
At the Family Law Offices of Carol A. Gorenberg we help who wish to strengthen their blended families by legally formalizing their bonds to the other's children through adoption. Adoption confers all the rights and responsibilities of parentage on the stepparent, including the obligation of support and the child's right of inheritance.
As an experienced adoption lawyer, she can explore with you the issues involved. If the child's other parent is living and has not had his or her rights terminated through some other legal process, it will be necessary to terminate that person's parental rights before your partner can adopt your child. Termination of parental rights can be accomplished by consent, or sometimes without the person's agreement. There are serious considerations if you are exploring non-consensual termination of parental rights, including: the child's age and relationship with the other parent, any history of child abuse or domestic violence, the desire of the child's other parent to maintain a relationship with the child, and whether the other parent has abandoned the child.
The complexity of such cases varies widely depending on the circumstances. Contact us to arrange a consultation to discuss the facts of your family situation and explore whether stepparent adoption is right for you.
Second Parent Adoptions
Since 2003, California law has been clear that in the case of same-sex couples, a second parent can legally adopt a partner's child. As with stepparent adoptions, there can only be two legal parents of a child, so if a birth parent is alive and legally retains his or her parental rights, those rights will have to be terminated, as described above.
Intercountry Re-adoptions
If you have adopted a foreign-born child in the child's country of birth, it is advisable to obtain a "re-adoption" under California law. Contact us for more information about this service.
If you would like to know more about the stepparent or second parent adoption process and our services, we encourage you to contact our office and schedule a confidential consultation today.
