California Adoption Lawyer

Adoption Options

When you make the decision to add to your family through adoption, you will also need to decide which adoption option to undertake. We help with these types of adoptions:

• Agency: Both public and private adoption agencies provide adoption services. In these cases, the biological parents have already relinquished their rights or been judicially relieved of their parental rights through a court order. The agency will investigate potential new parents prior to granting the right to adopt, and this process can be complicated and overwhelming. Having a skilled attorney by your side during this time will help you provide relevant and helpful information during the investigation.

• Independent: In an independent adoption there is no agency with final say as to whether you may adopt a child, that role is left to the court. During this process the biological parents keep their parental rights, but do play a key role in deciding who may adopt their child. Once the court hears the case and grants the adoption request, the adoptive parents then become the only parents with rights and responsibilities for the child.

What to Expect during the Adoption Process

Those wishing to adopt will need to be prepared to be investigated before being granted an adoption. To begin the process, it is best to sit down with an attorney who can explain how it works and help ensure completeness of your application. Potential parents will learn from their attorney what legal rights and responsibilities are associated with becoming a parent, including the right to make decisions regarding healthcare and education as well as the responsibility of providing support for the child.

Attorney Drummond T. McCunn can help you navigate the unique state laws pertaining to adoption and help you reach the best outcome for your family.

The end goal is to allow adoptions to those who are capable and willing, and that provide safe homes for children. A potential adoptive parent can expect home visits designed to determine whether the home environment is safe and whether the potential adoptive parents are fit to be parents. If the issue of parental rights of the biological parents is not yet resolved, that will also happen during the adoption process.