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The adoption process is highly regulated by the State of Georgia. Depending on the type of adoption and the legal status of the parents involved, the process can be cumbersome and tedious.
Fortunately, we have years of experience dealing with many different types of adoptions which include agency, relative, stepparent, adult adoptions, and more.
Our vast experience ensures that all related documents are properly rendered and submitted to the Court in a timely manner. This results in an expedited process and legal proceedings that go smoothly for all parties involved.
Agency adoptions refer to the process of adopting a child through a licensed agency or through the State of Georgia. This involves the placement of a child with adoptive parents by an authorized agency, which may be a public (government-run) or private agency.
We work with agencies to ensure that clients have all the proper legal documents in place. We want the process to go as smoothly as possible, and our proven process ensures that we get approval as quickly as possible.
The State of Georgia prioritizes these and even allows a hearing to be set within 15 days of filing. We’ll walk you and the agency through the steps of getting consent from birth parents, terminating parental rights, and finalization in court as quickly as possible.
These are needed when a grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle, great aunt, or great uncle is planning to adopt their relative. Relative adoptions are generally more straightforward than non-relative adoptions, because the adoptive family shares a familial relationship with the child.
Like other adoptions in the State of Georgia, relative adoptions may require a home study and home investigation. However, the process for relatives may be less extensive compared to non-relatives. The home study serves to assess the suitability of the relative’s home environment and ensure it meets the well-being standards for the child. Occasionally, the Courts will waive this requirement based on certain factors such as the amount of time the child has been in the relative’s home.
In some cases the biological parents will voluntarily consent to relative adoptions. If a parent’s rights have been terminated or they are unable to provide consent, the court will address the issue based on the specific circumstances in the case. If the biological parents are unwilling to provide consent, the court will assess factors such as abandonment and neglect to justify terminating parental rights to the child.
As your experienced attorney, we’ll guide you through process to ensure these legal proceedings go as smoothly as possible. We’ll work diligently to make sure each child is placed in the best situation possible for them to live comfortably.
These are are necessary when a husband or wife wants to adopt his or her spouse’s child or children. This helps solidify the stepparent’s legal status and puts the stepparent on equal legal footing with the biological parent. Usually it is the stepchild themselves that greatly desires to be adopted by their stepparent, because that is the person they view as their parent.
Stepparent adoptions also allow the stepparent to care for the minor child if the other parent dies or is incapacitated. Additionally, an adopted stepchild can become the legal beneficiary of the stepparent and can receive an inheritance from the stepparent as if they were their natural child.
The code even allows prior stepparents to adopt their stepchildren. This arises in situations when stepparents become divorced. Although they may have help raise the child, they are not entitled to visitation or custody because they are not the legal parent. Stepparent adoptions can solve the issue by giving the stepparent the legal standing they desire and require to remain a vital part in the child’s life.
These are the most common type of adoptions and our experience can help your family create the permanency in your family that you deserve.
These are used in situations where there is no familial relationship, or at least not one of the relationships listed within the relative adoption statute. A cousin of the child to be adopted would be an example of this. These type of adoptions are the most difficult to navigate as the statute requires several studies and more documentation than is required with other types of adoptions.
Our knowledge of the statutes and the local practices ensures that those seeking third party adoptions can rest assured that their petition is legally sound and thorough. We have relationships with the professionals that perform the home studies and investigations. This allow us to expedite a process that can sometimes take months if an attorney is unfamiliar with the formalities required.
We will walk you through every step of the process, from surrenders by the biological parents (if required) to finalization with a hearing. This can be a daunting process with excessive paperwork, but our knowledge in this field helps simplify the process for you and your family.
If you use an international agency to adopt a child, you need to domesticate that foreign judgment once you return to Georgia. By domesticating a foreign decree in Georgia, you will receive a final order from our State and a Georgia birth certificate from vital records that will be in the English language.
These new documents are vital for enrolling your child in school and extra curricular activities. Additionally, domestication will ensure that the minor child receive Social Security death benefits. Let Brooklyn help you complete the process stateside.
These are needed when someone over the age of 18 wishes to be adopted. They can be heard anytime after filing the petition as there are no other parties to serve. As a result, they can be finalized quickly. Adult adoptions do not require consent or surrender from the biological parents. Therefore many young adults, once they reach 18, use these to solidify a parent-child relationship with someone other than their biological parent. Adult adoptions also allow the court to only terminate one or both biological parents’ rights to the child.
These are best in situations where an individual has served as a parent-type figure for a significant amount of the child’s life. It allows the adult to now be viewed as that person’s child so they can receive an inheritance from them and take part in their estate.