Adoption is the legal process that makes a child that is not your biological child be the same legally as if born to you.
There are many types of adoption and each presents its own unique legal and emotional challenges. Our broad experience helping people build families through adoption allows us to understand the legal issues each of our clients face and tailor our services to their needs.
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Step-parent adoptions - The biological parent must consent or there must be grounds to terminate their parental rights. Such grounds are defined by statute but are closely examined by the courts. Terminating parental rights requires a high level of proof that the parent is no longer part of the child’s life or that the parent is not competent to parent the child.
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State adoptions - Involve a child in the custody of the state being placed with a foster home or prospective adoptive home for future adoption. This process is less costly than private placement, but can be emotionally painful if the state takes a long time trying to reconcile the child with the biological parent.
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Private adoptions - Involve a child placed in a family through a private adoption agency for the purposes of adoption. Although it may take time to get a placement, generally the agency will know that this child is available for adoption and there will be little likelihood that the biological parent will be reunited with the child. These adoptions are expensive and will sometimes require paying the living expenses of the birth mother during her pregnancy.
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Grandparent adoptions – There are times when a grandparent has needed to step in and provide the love and stability that a child needs when this is missing.
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Foreign adoptions - Many countries are making their orphaned children available for adoption to U.S. citizens. Russia, China, Vietnam, Latvia, and Guatemala are just a few. A foreign adoption agency will assist you in the preparation, selection and process of foreign adoptions. It will also require re-finalizing the foreign adoption once the child is in the United States.
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Single parent adoptions – Single parents may adopt in Tennessee, either through a foreign adoption, a state adoption or a private adoption. State adoptions are very difficult for single persons because the State will always favor married couples. Foreign is the most popular resource.
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Second parent adoptions – Gay couple adoptions and lesbian couple adoptions are being approved in Tennessee. The requirements of termination still apply. In some instances, surrogacy has been the best choice.
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Surrogacy – Surrogacy is the relationship between parents and a third party surrogate who contracts to carry the baby through the term of the pregnancy. This can be a child that is genetically related to the parents or is not genetically related to any of the parties. This is recognized in Tennessee as a legal relationship, but it does require a contract for enforcement. Remember, as far as the hospital is concerned the person who give birth to the child is the “mother” unless the contract defines otherwise.
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Assistance in placing your child in a loving home – If you are an expectant mother or you have had a child that you know is beyond your abilities to provide for, we can assist you in placing your child in a loving home. We frequently have families who present their personal profiles for consideration as adoptive parents.
Every child deserves a family and every family deserves as many children as their hearts can manage.