ADOPTION ATTORNEY SERVING KNOXVILLE & FARRAGUT, TENNESSEE

If you are seeking legal representation for an adoption, you’ve reached the right place to get educated about your situation.

WHY YOUR ADOPTION PROCEEDINGS NEED LEGAL REPRESENTATION

It’s in your best interest to know the difference between what the legal profession refers to as high and low legal risk. The Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) determines which cases the law views as high-risk; parents whose rights have not yet been terminated are high-risk because the court favors the child’s birth parents. This is also a primary reason the adoption of newborn infants is considered to be high-risk. Conversely, low-risk cases involve children whose birth parents’ rights are expected to be relinquished, and his or her return to the birth family is considered unlikely.

FEDERAL AND TENNESSEE STATE ADOPTION LAWS

In Tennessee, adoption laws are welcoming. Whether you intend to adopt an infant or an older child, or even a child from outside the United States, you should be knowledgeable about some more basic aspects of the process. Prospective parents:

• Should be 18 years or older

• Must have been a resident of the state for at least six months in order to adopt.

• Should be aware that consent of the child is required in Tennessee if he or she is 14 years or older.

• In all 50 states and the District of Columbia are required to complete a home study program, which educates and prepares the adoptive family for adoption

• Can adopt in Tennessee if they are gay or lesbian; at this point, Florida and Mississippi are the only states in the US that prohibit adoption by LGBT individuals.

It’s important to understand these legal requirements before we can secure your rights. Our priority is to keep you informed throughout your process.

ADOPTION PAPERWORK FOR FAMILIES IN TRANSITION

Upon adoption in Tennessee, like anywhere else, you need to make to sure keep track of important documents such as:

• Consent to adoption, which refers to the birthparents’ signed approval to relinquish rights and the consent of the adoption agency

• Adoption Decree, also known as an adoption certificate, court-issued upon finalization of an adoption

• Original and Amended Birth Certificates, the former of which names the birth parents while the latter names the adoptive parents as a child’s legal parents.

We know the importance of providing competent adoption representation. Take matters into your own hands; let us help you claim your rights as parents.