Adoption Law

Establishing Legal Parent/Child Relationship





Adoption Law Firms
What is Adoption Law? Adoption law is a subset of Family Law. These are the laws that govern the process individuals must go through to establish a legal parent/child relationship when it does not exist biologically. The rights, duties, and obligations of adoptive parents will be the same as those of a natural parent, and their adoptive child will take the family surname. In some states, delinquent child support payments will remain in effect even after the child has been adopted. In some adoptions, the relationship between a child and his/her natural parent(s) is severed entirely, although not in “open adoptions” where the relationship is maintained on various levels, to include emails, letters, pictures and even visits.

Adoptions may proceed through adoption agencies or personally, through a family member. And the proceeding may differ based upon who handles the adoption, the child’s age, and whether there is a familial relationship. Regardless of the originating procedures, an adoption must be finalized by a local court judge (or “surrogate” in some jurisdictions) handing down a court order after a hearing. An official decree will then be issued to the adoptive parents and in many cases they may obtain a birth certificate where they are legally displayed as the parents.

Adoption rules and laws are not uniform and therefore, vary from state to state. However, there does exist a general legal consensus that in order to adopt, the prospective adult adoptive parent must prove to be a fit parent. Although it is still more difficult for a single person or a same-sex couple to adopt than a married couple, laws and attitudes are gradually evolving.


Adoption Law - US

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Articles on HG.org Related to Adoption Law

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