Stepparent Adoption Lawyer in Irvine

Adoption is a legal process that makes a relationship between a parent and a child legal, even though they are not related by blood.

There are different types of adoptions. Stepparent adoption is one in which a spouse of the child’s parent adopts the child. A stepparent adoption is different from an independent or agency adoption. The Court must first terminate the rights of the biological parent. The legal basis for this is if the biological parent has not had any contact with the child for one year and has not paid any financial support for the child for one year.

After a Petition for a Stepparent Adoption is filed, the Court conducts an investigation as to the suitability of the spouse that is requesting the adoption, and also attempts to obtain a waiver of parental rights from the uninvolved biological parent. The end result of a stepparent adoption is that the biological parent will have no further legal rights relating to the child and will have no further financial obligation to support the child.

In a stepparent adoption, the stepparent is granted all of the rights and responsibilities of a parent and child relationship.