Helping Stepparents with Adoption in Washington State

What can be so positive about blended families is that a new family forms. Whether the mother or father remarried, there are now more family members to share the special privilege of caring for any children in the household. In some cases, the biological father or mother of the child is not an active part of his or her life. In other situations, the biological parent has no role at all. A form of adoption called "stepparent adoption" can help solidify the role of a stepfather or stepmother as having legal parental rights. Even though the child may already see his or her stepparent as a "mom or dad," the law does not see it that way until parental rights are established via adoption.

If you and your spouse are interested in stepparent adoption for one or more children, we invite you to reach out to us in Redmond or Bellevue, Washington, to discuss your legal options. We believe in personalized, compassionate and thorough family law representation for each and every one of our clients.

Talk to our experienced lawyers today at Alpine Family Law. Call (425) 276-7677 today to schedule your appointment.

Helping Clients With Blended Family Adoption

Every family adoption situation is unique and has its own special set of circumstances. Whether you are the stepparent and have an amicable understanding with the biological parent or you are not sure of the whereabouts of the biological parent, we can help you. While we strongly recommend that you seek our guidance for actual legal advice for your specific case, here are general guidelines to what happens in Washington stepparent adoptions.

• The biological parent must give legal consent to terminate his or her parental rights. This starts by giving proper notice of the adoption proceedings.
• When the whereabouts of the biological parent are unknown, notice must still be given - although the requirements of proper notice are different given the situation.
• If a biological parent does not want to consent to the adoption and terminate parental rights, then the parties seeking the stepparent adoption must file a petition.

No matter what your situation, our compassionate adoption attorneys can help you navigate what can be complicated legal issues. Adoption can be a very joyous occasion, and we would be honored to help you start taking the first steps toward achieving it.

Talk to us today about your stepparent adoption needs. Call us at (425) 276-7677 or complete the online form.