Private Agency Adoption & Direct Placement Adoption
Our firm focuses our Adoption practice on private adoption, either through a private adoption agency or through direct placement adoption.
When an Adoption Agency is involved, the birth parent releases the child to the child-placing adoption agency. The agency then screens prospective parents. Generally, agencies require temporary placement prior to the finalization of the adoption. Conversely, when the adoption is a direct placement adoption, the birth parent personally selects the adoptive parents and then consents to the adoption and transfers the physical custody of the child to the adoptive parents. It is crucially important in these instances that the prospective adoptive parents work with an adoption attorney to ensure the legality during the process.
Step-Parent Adoption
In general, a step-parent adoption case involves a step-parent who wants to adopt his or her spouse’s child born from a previous marriage or relationship. Our role in this process is to represent the petitioning step-parent during his or her effort to become the legal father or mother of the step-child.
Very often with step-parent adoption cases we find that the absent parent either refuses to cooperate or cannot be located. Sometimes the absent parent has either not seen or supported the child for a number of years or the absent parent simply refuses to consent to the adoption (notwithstanding, of course, that the best interests of the child would be served by the absent parent cooperating during the adoption process). When this happens, we arrange to terminate the absent parent’s parental rights by law.
Kinship (Relative) Adoption
In North Carolina, relatives are permitted to adopt their kin. Often times during a kinship adoption, the adoptee has experienced some traumatic life event and the relative is akin to the special set of circumstances surround that adoptee. Whether the biological mother and father are cooperative during the adoption determines the complexity of the kinship adoption. It’s important to inform your adoption attorney of every relevant detail regarding the adoptee as well as the biological parents for a successful kinship adoption.
Interstate Adoption
ICPC stands for the “Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children” and it’s absolutely critical that you have an experience adoption attorney assist you when you’re adopting a child from another state. ICPC regulations provides a process to both sending and receiving states to ensure a smooth placement.
When it comes to long-term care costs, the charges for home care are now rising faster than those for nursing home care, according to Genworth’s 2019 Cost of Care survey.
If you are nearing your 50s without a post-retirement plan, this is an opportunity to plan judiciously and start saving for your retirement. Here are five strategic steps for achieving this.
Americans are living longer than they did in years past, including those with disabilities. Planning by parents can …
Being appointed guardian of a loved one is a serious responsibility. As guardian, you are in charge of your loved one’s well-being and you have a duty to act in his or her best interest.
DISCLAIMER
This website exists to provide informational purposes only and is not intended to be advertising, solicitation or legal advice.
Despite attempts to keep information on this web site current, the contents may not reflect the most recent legal changes. Moreover, given the complexity of estate planning, estate administration, elder law, business law, real estate law, family law, construction law, civil litigation and any other practice area of our firm, not all generalities may apply to your current situation.
Your receipt or transmission of information does not create an attorney-client relationship and cannot substitute for obtaining legal advice from an attorney admitted to practice law in your state. Should you choose to contact an attorney at Heritage Law Firm (via e-mail or other means of communication), do not disclose information you consider to be confidential. Unless otherwise agreed in advance, all unsolicited inquiries or information received by Heritage Law Firm will not be regarded as confidential.
Some of the materials on this website contain links to other sources on the Internet. Such links are provided as citations and aids, and are not intended to be referrals or endorsements by Heritage Law Firm. Materials on this website may only be reproduced in their entirety, without modification, for the individual reader’s personal and/or educational uses and must include this Disclaimer and Notice.
Heritage Law Firm
PO Box 974
Fort Mill, SC 29716
*By Appointment Only
3440 Torigndon Way
Suite 205
Charlotte, NC 28277
