Experienced Adoption Lawyers in Utah
Adoption is a process by which you become the legal parent of a child born to different birth parents. People adopt for many reasons and under many circumstances, but the legal process is essentially the same in most cases.
At Esplin | Weight, our lawyers are here to facilitate any and all types of adoption under Utah law. If you are considering adopting a child, contact us at our offices in Provo to discuss how we can help you.
Handling All Legal Aspects of the Adoption Process
At Esplin | Weight, our family law attorneys have extensive experience handling the necessary legal tasks for all types of adoptions in Utah, including but not limited to the following categories:
- Stepparent adoptions
- Grandparent adoptions
- Agency adoptions
- International adoptions
- Unmarried couple adoptions
We are familiar with the timelines for adoption, the role of a child's preference in adoption decisions based on that child's age, name change requirements, birth certificate procedures and all other legal aspects of the adoption process. We also have good referral sources for pre- and post-adoption evaluators.
Understanding Termination of Parental Rights
Before an adoption can take place, it is necessary to voluntarily or involuntarily terminate the rights of the child's birth parents. When the adoption is finalized, it puts the child's adoptive parents in the legal position of parents, with all of the rights that initially adhered to the birth parents.
This can occur in the context of a grandparent adoption case. It can also occur in an agency adoption case where, typically, the birth mother voluntarily terminates her rights, and the birth father's rights are terminated by default. Utah law has certain benefits when it comes to the latter process.
To discuss what must be done to successfully complete the adoption process so you can have full parental rights over a child in your care, contact us today.
