Law Offices of Kat Delgado Divorce and Family Law Practice is dedicated to families, which come in all shapes and sizes. If your family is growing as a result of adoption, let me help you through the legal process and celebrate your growing family with you.
Related adoptions occur when one or both of the adoptive parents are related to the child. This occurs most commonly in stepparent and second parent adoptions. In that situation, both the parent and the stepparent or co-parent must file a petition and the new spouse of the biological parent becomes the legal parent of the child, stepping into the shoes of the biological parent. This type of adoption should be straightforward, but there are a few issues that frequently come up:
If you're considering a related adoption, the process begins with a review the child’s birth certificate, marriage license of the petitioners (if applicable), any dissolution orders, and custody orders related to the child in order to determine whether the petitioning parents can legally adopt a child in Illinois. An experienced adoption attorney will also review the petitioner’s employment, residence, and criminal history in order to raise awareness of any red flags or potential pitfalls.
Co-Parent Adoptions, also known as “Second-Parent Adoptions” are when two unmarried individuals become the legal parents of a child. In a majority of these cases, one of the petitioners is already the parent or related to the child. Unfortunately not all counties in Illinois will authorize a co-parent adoption and those in need of co-parent adoptions should strongly consider filing in the Cook County court. If one petitioner is already related to the child then the adoption will proceed normally as a related adoption.
If you're ready to talk about adoption, contact my office to schedule your free 15 minute consultation today.
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