Central Florida Adoption Attorney
Adoption-An Overview
As a relative or a step-parent of the child you wish to adopt you already have a strong and loving bond with that child. A formal judgment of adoption will give that relationship legal status as well. Once you are recognized as the adoptive child's legal parent you then have the legal right to make or participate in major decisions regarding your child, including decisions on matters such as schooling and medical care. In addition, you will then be listed as your adoptive child's legal parent on his or her birth certificate. You may also give your adoptive child your surname.
Adoption-Procedure
If you are a relative or a step-parent of a child that you wish to adopt the adoption process should be relatively straightforward. The most difficult part of the adoption process is the paperwork. Completing all of the paperwork necessary for a relative or step-parent adoption is time-consuming and often confusing. The burden is on the adoptive parent to establish compliance with the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction And Enforcement Act and, in some cases, the Interstate Compact For The Placement Of Children. In addition, the adoptive parent is responsible for drafting the Petition For Adoption and obtaining the Formal Consent of the parent relinquishing his or her parental rights. Furthermore, the adoptive parent and all parties must provide the court with formal Affidavits setting forth compliance with the pertinent provisions of the Florida Statutes. The adoptive parent's failure to precisely follow each and every step of the process will result in unnecessary delay and could ultimately cause the Petition to be dismissed by the court.
Let the Law Office of Jeffrey A. Klein, P.A. handle your relative or step-parent adoption for you. We will prepare all of the necessary paperwork from start to finish. In most cases your adoption will be finalized in less than one month. Usually the presiding judge will render a Final Judgment based solely on the documents that we file for you. If a final hearing is required, however, we will be there in person with you. Contact our office for a free initial consultation to get the process started.
We can be reached by phone at 1-866-819-6032 or by filling out the in-take form on our Contact Us page.
