Adoption in Seattle

When divorce proceedings directly involve children, the added emotional strain can be difficult for everyone involved. When adoption possibilities are brought up during a Seattle divorce, or in situations where the parents are already separated, you should seek honest counsel from reliable Seattle adoption attorneys with experience handling sensitive family law cases.

The Seattle adoption and family law lawyers from the Washington Family Law Group will help you navigate the complex legal waters of a divorce involving the adoption of a child. Washington State family law states that if one or both parents have their parental rights terminated by the court, then their children become eligible for adoption.

The determination of a Seattle parent’s rights may be involuntary or voluntary, but every situation is handled on its own merit. In some cases, a parent may want to relinquish their parental rights so that their child may be adopted by another party. With so many complex variables to consider, going over the details of your situation with one of our Seattle adoption attorneys is a good idea.

Our experienced Seattle adoption lawyers handle countless divorce cases every year, including cases where adoption must be considered. Every parent wants what’s best for their children, so our professional lawyers vow to provide you with reliable legal counsel so that you can make decisions that benefit your child.

A Seattle stepparent adoption is a situation where one parent relinquishes their parental rights so that the other parent's new partner can petition the court to adopt their biological child. If you're in this situation, our Seattle adoption attorneys can help you understand this process and help you work out the details.

While this process is straightforward, both parties must agree to the adoption. If a parent refuses to relinquish their legal parental rights, the only way to facilitate the adoption is to seek a forced termination with the court. Before our Seattle adoption lawyers can pursue a stepparent adoption, we will need to thoroughly investigate your current situation to see if this course of action in possible. It's important to note that under some circumstances a forced termination is simply not possible.

Your Seattle adoption situation is likely unique, and will require specialized care from one of our legal professionals. Your attorney from our Seattle law office will need to have a clear understanding of your current situation so that every option can be considered.

The court may require you to obtain professional legal representation while dealing with adoption issues in Seattle, so schedule a free consultation with one of our legal professionals today and start getting some answers. Your free case evaluation gives you an opportunity to discuss your adoption options with an experienced Seattle family attorney confidentially, and without any risk or cost.

Contact our professional law office in Seattle today, and find out how we can help you address complicated legal adoption issues.

There are some other situations besides stepparent adoptions where a lawyer can help you deal with sensitive adoption issues. For those in LBGT relationship, adoption and parental rights may be issues they have to face if they want to raise a family. In order to raise a child, one or both parents may need to establish a legal relationship with a non-biological child. Issues such as these are unique to same sex couples, and require help from an experienced family law attorney.

There are a few options on the table in these scenarios. The Second Parent Adoption (also called Co-Parent Adoption) is one is an options that is similar to a stepparent adoption, but is permitted when a couple is not married. This is a valuable legal tool for partners in same sex relationships who would like to adopt and protect their parental rights.

Another option is the Legal Presumption of Parentage, which provides that both partners are parents of the child. Last, a De Facto Parent provides legal parenting status to a non-biological parent if they divorce their partner. Obviously, there is far more to these options, so you should talk about your options with a qualified Seattle attorney.

No matter what your person situation, adoption is a sometimes difficult process that requires dedication from a qualified lawyer. Our Seattle attorneys can help you take the next step, so contact our law office for a free consultation today.