Lake Oswego, Oregon Lawyers Assisting With Step-Parent Adoption
There can be many reasons to adopt your spouse’s child or children. This legal step can be the biggest expression of your love for them as a parent, but is also an important demonstration that you are there for them and always will be. Legally, adopting children can have a number of consequences for you, your spouse, and the children. Hohbach Law Firm can assist you not only in effecting the adoption, but in ensuring all of the legal ramifications have been thoroughly explained and discussed.
Because it is such an important decision, there are a number of legal steps to clear in order to become an adoptive parent. Hohbach Law Firm has experience in clearing these hurdles and can help you do the same.
Let us put our legal skill to work for you and your family. Contact a family law attorney at (503) 697-7755 to schedule an initial consultation.
Why Pursue Step-Parent Adoption?
Every family considers adoption primarily out of love. However, many families choose to go forward with a step-parent adoption because of practical concerns about what may happen if the biological parent in the family becomes impaired or dies. In such unfortunate circumstances, a child could be forced to live with a formerly absent biological parent or other relative, instead of with the step-parent they know and love. Adoption gives an integrated step-parent all the same legal rights as a biological parent.
The Step-Parent Adoption Process
Our family law attorneys are pleased to facilitate step-parent adoptions, which most often involve one biological parent — the one married to the step-parent — retaining parental rights. The other biological parent’s rights will terminate. So will the other parent’s responsibilities toward the child, to include contributing toward the financial support of the child.
In seeking an adoption, there is a great deal of paperwork to be filed, both with the court and with the Department of Human Services (DHS). The Oregon State Police is required to conduct a background check. The DHS is typically required to complete a home study in adoption cases; that requirement is typically waived when the adoptive person is a step‐parent. However, DHS is still very much included in the adoption process, which can take several months. Hohbach Law Firm can navigate these various requirements with ease.
Contact the Hohbach Law Firm
We want to provide your family with a smooth transition. To schedule an appointment to discuss your case, contact us at (503) 697-7755.
We represent clients throughout the greater Portland area in a variety of complex legal issues. We focus our practice on the areas of family law, criminal defense and civil litigation. We dedicate ourselves to helping our clients obtain the best possible outcome in every case.
