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Wake County Stepparent Adoption Attorney
Finalizing the adoption of a child you love can be a wonderful feeling for both you and the child, but it also gives you complete legal responsibility to take care of all of the child’s needs. Each family and prospective parent who considers adoption has their own unique motivation and hopes for their future.
If you are a stepparent seeking to formally adopt, an experienced stepparent adoption lawyer in the Raleigh, NC area can help you navigate this complex and tedious process. Breeden Law Office has helped many families complete the adoption process, and we will help you understand its requirements and likely timetable. Contact a Cary adoption lawyer from Breeden Law Office to schedule your consultation.
The Benefits Of Adopting A Stepchild Or Other Relative
Many people act as a guardian for their stepchild, grandchild, or niece or nephew, and it is very common for them to want to adopt a child with whom they share a relationship. Finalizing an adoption can be a great relief to everyone in a family, and you may emotionally benefit from the peace of mind that you are now the child’s parent in the eyes of the law.
It’s important to understand that if you do not adopt your stepchild, you will not have parenting rights in the eyes of the state. Therefore, you can lose the ability to care for the child even if you are their primary guardian. Stepparents who have not formally adopted their stepchild oftentimes face an extremely difficult custody battle if they wish to keep the child in their care in the event of the sudden death of the child’s legal parent.
Completing the adoption of your stepchild in Cary will legally allow for you to do the following:
- Easily enroll the child in school, and be the person of contact for the child’s school
- Access the child’s records and make medical decisions
- Secure the child’s right to coverage under your insurance
- Ensure the child has inheritance rights as a member of your family
- Change the child’s name during the adoption process if desired
Adoption is a joyful process, but there are a lot of ins-and-outs that you may not expect. Learn how an adoption lawyer can help you.
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How Do You Adopt a Stepchild in Cary, NC?
Each stepchild adoption case is different since no two family situations are the same. Many people are concerned about the time and burden that the adoption process might cause them and their children. The good news is that North Carolina family courts generally make a stepchild or other relative adoption easier than traditional infant adoptions.
Some subjects to consider for your adoption process in North Carolina:
The State Will Pre-Screen The Prospective Parent
Like other adoption attempts, the state will screen prospective parents to see if they are fit to become parents of the intended child. Unlike other adoptions, these screenings are much less rigorous. You must show that you have been married to your spouse for at least six months. While the state does not require a home study, some counties may require one during your adoption process. link to adoption faq by state
Notice of the Adoption Must be Shared with Any Legal Parents of the Intended Adoptee
Whether they are a biological parent or a legal parent, they must be informed of the adoption if their parental rights will be terminated when the process is complete. This notice must be made even if the other parent is completely uninvolved in the child’s life.
You May Need to Get Consent from the Child
In cases where the child is 12 years or older, you will need to get their consent before you can complete the adoption. However, the court may decide to waive that requirement if they feel the adoption is in the child’s best interests.
Can I Adopt a Child When Their Parent is Missing or They Owe Child Support?
When a stepparent or other relative formally adopts a child, any previous requirement of a biological parent to provide child support payments ends. However, any back child support payments that remain outstanding are still owed, although the parent who is meant to receive such payments can forgive them.
Many cases involve adoptive parents who are ready to go through with the process, but there is a problem locating the biological parent who requires notice of the adoption. While this frustrating situation might cause you to fear that the adoption will stall, it is something that we have dealt with many times.
As a family lawyer with years of experience helping clients, attorney Jonathan Breeden has a variety of resources and tools to help find a parent who has been missing for an extended period of time, and if they cannot be found they can be given notice of the adoption in the newspaper in the city or town they were last known to have lived. He’s ready to help you with your Cary adoption needs.
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A Cary, NC Stepparent Adoption Lawyer at Breeden Law Office Can Help
Completing the adoption of a stepchild, grandchild, or other relative can be a great feeling, and it provides a genuine and well-founded sense of security for the child. While it is generally easier to adopt a relative over a non-relative infant, each stepparent, sibling, or grandparent adoption is unique and approached differently. Attorney Jonathan Breeden has helped many clients successfully adopt by showing the state that finalizing this adoption is in the best interest of everyone involved.
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As the victim of a domestic violence assault, I needed legal help to get my domestic violence protection order approved at the scheduled hearing. I found Breeden Law Office by Googling “domestic violence protection,” and looking through the information on each law firm that came up. Breeden Law Office looked like the best for for me. I contacted Breeden Law, and completed their Prospective Client Form. I was accepted as a client. My assigned attorney, Ashley Kevitt, was perfect from the first contact. I had reached out to the firm at the last minute, as my hearing was only two days away. Ashley said she could be available to help me with that hearing. We consulted by Zoom call for about an hour and she reviewed the facts of my case with me. We appeared together at the hearing. Ashley was masterful at every step, and I was granted the protection order. I could not be more pleased with Ashley and all of Breeden Law Office!
Jonathan helped us with the adoption of our niece. Jonathan and his team made the whole process very simple for us. They were always very responsive when we had questions and followed up promptly. Jonathan’s knowledge of the process and the key players in Harnett County clearly made the whole process move quickly saving time and ultimately money. Jonathan completed our adoption in just over 90 days. We had previously hired another attorney that really didn’t know the correct process and we wasted thousands. The Breeden Law team was a pleasure to work with and the results were fantastic.
Mr. Breeden was extremely helpful to me as I continued on the long road to gain full custody of my daughter. Even though I have never met him in person, he treated my family and I with great respect and attention. I live out of state, yet had to gain counsel of someone in the state of my ex-husband’s residence. Due to the Covid concerns, it was very difficult to even think of traveling back and forth for consultation or scheduled court dates. Mr. Breeden enabled me to conduct all of our business and legal appointments from my own home. No concern was ever too large or small. Mr. Breeden always kept me up to date, and was very good at responding to my calls and emails. I am so thankful to have found his services. He was able to get past a great many previous misconceptions about elements of the case that had been keeping my daughter from me. I would recommend Mr. Breeden to anyone who is looking for serious, helpful and personal counsel.