How Can I Adopt My Stepchild?
You may be a stepparent that has helped your spouse, the biological parent, raise your stepchild and now you wish to formalize that relationship through adoption. This means that child would now be your own, legally.
In order for a stepparent to adopt a child, the other biological parent’s parental rights must be terminated. In some cases, this may be done by that biological parent consenting to the adoption. If the consent is not given, then the parental rights must be terminated based upon proof of one of the grounds for termination as allowed by Tennessee law. Once the termination takes places, the stepparent adoption can proceed.
Once the adoption is finalized by the Court, there will be a legal parent-child relationship between the child and the stepparent. This means that the child’s name may be changed, the birth certificate can be changed to reflect the parental relationship, and all other legal rights between a parent and a child will exist. The process can be simple and quick, depending on the circumstances.
If you and your spouse are considering a step parent adoption, contact Angel Kane at Kane & Crowell Family Law Center at www.kane-law.com or by phone at (615) 784-4800. We handle cases in Wilson County, Sumner County, Trousdale County, Macon County, Smith County, and Rutherford County and are happy to put our experience at work for you
Author
Family Law, Kane Law, Step Parent Adoption
