Adoption
Children need stable and permanent homes. If you are planning on adopting a child, contact me for a consultation. In Tennessee, as long as you are a resident, over 18 and have a stable home, you may qualify to adopt a child. When you adopt, you are making the child (or adult) a legal member of your family, with the right to inherit from you, just like a birth child. It is a big responsibility. You are making a commitment to a child and there are lots of services out there to help you be successful.
The most difficult part of an adoption is terminating parental rights. You are also required to personally serve the parent with the adoption petition. If a process server cannot find the parent, then you have to publish for 4 weeks in the last known county of residence before setting a hearing on the termination and adoption.
It is also possible that the parent may recognize that adoption is in the best interest of their child. If the biological parent signs onto the petition as a Co-Petitioner, it has the effect of a surrender and you do not actually have to prove grounds for termination of their rights.
I can also represent parents to help them fight a termination of parental rights petition and to try to help stop an adoption.
This website has been designed for informational purposes only. In no way should this information be interpreted as giving out legal advice. If you need legal advice, you need to consult with an attorney in person. No attorney-client relationship is formed by any use of the information provided herein.
