Our Family Law Attorneys in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach Aid Your Adoption Process

If you choose to make a difference in a child’s life through adoption, you can trust the legal team of Shannon & Associates, P.C. to streamline the complex paperwork and deal with the onerous legal process on your behalf. When you adopt, you give a new family to a child who has been legally separated from his or her parents. As an adoptive parent, you enjoy the same rights and obligations as a biological parent, and the child enjoys the same rights that any of your biological children would.

Call (757) 228-5529 or send us a message online to schedule an appointment to discuss your adoption situation and concerns.

The Commonwealth of Virginia allows adoptions through agency or non-agency placements. Agency placement involves the local department of social services or a private licensed child placing agency. In an agency placement, the child’s parents have relinquished or lost their legal rights completely, so the child is either in the custody of the Commonwealth or the agency. All that is required is the Commonwealth and the agency’s approval of your adoption petition.

On the other hand, in non-agency adoptions, the child’s parents or legal guardians still enjoy all their parental rights and you must petition the court to legally terminate them or to obtain the consent of the parents. This type of adoption occurs when a stepparent seeks to adopt his spouse’s child from a prior relationship or marriage and when you adopt a child from another country. The compassionate attorneys at Shannon & Associates, P.C. help you decide which option aligns with your goals for the adoption and guide you through the adoption process.

If you seek to adopt your spouse’s biological or adoptive child, you should consider these questions:

• Did the child’s other biological or adoptive parent consent?
• If not, have his or her rights been legally terminated?
• How will this adoption affect my own biological children?
• Does the child want to be adopted?

As seasoned family law attorneys, we can also assist you and your spouse in considering the specific effects of a stepparent adoption in your individual case.

If you’re adopting a child from another country or whose biological parents are giving him or her up for adoption, some important requirements must be fulfilled before you can enjoy full parental rights:

• You must request that a placement agency conducts a home study report.
• Juvenile and family relations courts evaluate your home study report and accept parental consent to adopt, transferring the custody of the child to you as adoptive parents.
• The circuit court enters a preliminary order of adoption and six months later, it enters the final order of adoption.

Count on our family law firm to effectively navigate the forms and procedures throughout your adoption process. Call the office of Shannon & Associates, P.C. at (757) 228-5529 or send us a message online to schedule an appointment to discuss your adoption situation and concerns.