Morgan County Adoption Lawyers & Attorneys

Adoption is when an adult formally becomes the guardian of a child. They take on all rights and responsibilities as a parent in Morgan County. Adoption results in terminating any legal rights the biological parents have. Our Morgan County & Montgomery County Adoption Lawyers can help you file a petition for adoption in the Probate Court in Decatur. 

Stepparent adoption can be the simplest type of adoption. Usually there are one or two court hearings, since no one is objecting. Courts typically streamlines hearings to make it as easy as possible to complete the adoption. Our local family law lawyers charge a flat fee to file such stepparent adoptions. There are filing fees and other additional fees involved, which vary from county to county. Give our Decatur office a call today to retain an adoption lawyer in Morgan County, Alabama. 

Adoption can be a rewarding experience. Prospective parents must meet the following requirements:

• All parents must be over 19 years of age.
• Married couples must be married for at least 3 years.
• One must be a U.S. citizen in married couples
• Housing and personal space must be adequate for the child or children adopted.
• Parents must be healthy enough to meet a child’s needs.
• You must be willing to undergo a thorough background check, including criminal history.

There are several common types of adoption: Domestic Agency Adoption, International Adoption, and Foster Care Adoption. Domestic Agency Adoptions are agencies located in the United States. They typically provide all the services needed to complete an adoption in Morgan County, Alabama. A few services provided are counseling for the birth parents, adoptive parents, and pregnant women.

The domestic agency also provides financial protection for adoptive parents and referrals to legal professionals for assistance. Each state has slightly different laws related to adoptions. Parents looking to adopt, should let the domestic agency outside of the state know that they are a resident of Alabama. Having an adoption attorney in Morgan County will help you with the adoption process in Decatur. Our Huntsville divorce lawyers can help you with your adoption in Morgan County today.

International adoption is the process by which parents adopt a child from outside the United States. International adoptions largely depend on the laws of the country you are trying to adopt in. Countries part of The Hague Adoption Convention policies vary from other countries that are not. 

You should decide which country you want to adopt from. Your Morgan County adoption attorney will make sure you meet the qualifications from the county you choose. When deciding on a county, think about the culture and current political state of the country. Budget is very important to think about since costs vary greatly in each country. Each country has different types of adoptions, so it is best to know which ones are offered. For example, infant vs. teenager or boy vs. girl availability. 

Next, you will need to find a reputable international adoption agency in Alabama. If possible, talk to parents who previously adopted internationally to see which agency they used. Before you can adopt, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Adoption Department will need to verify that you are eligible to adopt. If matched with a child, you will need to travel to the child’s home country. While there, you need to prepare to stay in the country for four weeks. During those four weeks you will have time getting to know the child. Completion of your visa application and forms for Alabama’s international adoption process will be done during this time too.

Before you leave the country you will have an interview with their adoption authorities. This interview is to ensure you meet the requirements for adoption in Decatur and Morgan County. Once you are back in Alabama, you will need your Alabama adoption lawyer to fill out the visa forms to finalize the adoption.

The last common type of adoption is foster care adoption. Most foster children in Morgan County, eventually reunite with their biological family. However, roughly 20 percent of children in foster care are eligible for adoption in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) handles foster care adoptions. Let our Morgan County law firm help your family and call us today for a free phone consultation.

An adoption that everyone agrees to, including biological parents, then it is fairly easily. Sometimes stepparents adopt when the biological father consents. This stepparent adoption is not as complex. Our adoption lawyers in Morgan County charge a flat attorney fee, plus filing fees.

There are also fees for home inspections and other costs in addition to our attorney fees. The child will need to stay with the prospective parents before the final decision. There is usually a home inspection of some kind ordered by the court. Stepparent adoptions are streamlined when the child is currently with prospective parents.

Stepparent adoptions done by agreement tend to be cheaper than parents not in agreement. Morgan County adoption attorneys charge flat fees in these cases instead of the larger retainers required in other adoptions. Parents not in agreement typically have more hearings to resolve issues. One reason is to terminate the biological father’s rights and the second one is to determine if the parent unfit. Need an adoption and divorce attorney in Decatur? Our Morgan County adoption lawyers are ready to help you and your family today!