At K&M, our adoption attorneys understand how important and how complicated the adoption process can be for you. We also understand how critical it is for the adoption process to move forward smoothly and without any delays. Adoptions can take place in many situations: adopting a child domestically or pursuing a foreign adoption, or to make sure that a stepparent, a foster parent or a relative can have legal rights for the child they are already caring for.
Termination of Parental Rights
For an adoption to move forward, the legal rights of the biological parent must be terminated either voluntarily or involuntarily. For example, a voluntary termination involves a biological parent giving up his or her parental rights by voluntarily signing an Affidavit of Relinquishment of Parental Rights. In other circumstances, parental rights may be involuntarily terminated for various reasons including by Child Protective Services.
Other examples of involuntary termination of parental rights include:
parent’s abandonment of child
parent’s endangering the child
parent leaving the child for six (6) months
parent voluntarily leaving the child in the care of someone else
parent failing to support the child for at least one year ending within six months of the adoption.
Contact an adoption attorney at K&M.
At K&M, our team of legal experts will help you pursue a successful adoption or protect your parental rights if they are at risk.
For a free consultation, please contact us at K&M to discuss all of your available legal options.