Missouri Adoption Lawyer

Family Law Attorneys Supporting Your Decision

Expanding your family through adoption is a wonderful thing. Not only can it bring a sense of joy and fulfillment to your life, but it also provides the much-needed comfort and stability to a child in need. Troubles can and do arise, however, during the adoption process as complicated laws and litigation start to crop up.

At Columbia Family Law Group, LLC, we are ready to provide your family with trusted representation and comprehensive legal counsel to ensure that your adoption process goes as smoothly as possible. With the guidance from our team, you can prepare for the entire procedure, determine if you are eligible to adopt a child, or find the right birth parents for your family. Helping unite families through adoption and bringing children into loving homes are our passion.

If you have questions about adoption law in Missouri, we encourage you to call a Columbia adoption attorney from our firm at 573-303-5530 today!

Are You Eligible to Adopt a Child? We Can Find Out!

The desire to adopt a child is truly an honorable goal. However, there are legal statutes in place that either allow or disallow someone from adopting a child. Before you begin the adoption process, meet with us and we can discuss your eligibility.

Missouri adoption laws require a few things before you can become eligible to adopt. You must:

  • Be over the age of 21
  • Be in good mental and physical health
  • Pass a criminal background check
  • Have stable income
  • Live in a safe structure
  • Work with the child’s birth family (when needed)
  • Complete a full assessment process
  • Be legally married for at least 6 months prior to the adoption, in cases of a step-parent adoption

It is important to note that antidiscrimination laws also apply to the adoption process. If you are being denied adoption for any reason that does not tie directly to the above requirements, you might have a serious family law case on your hands.

Protected characteristics that cannot prevent you from adopting include:

  • Race
  • Religion
  • Gender
  • Sexual orientation
  • Marital status

Closed Adoption Compared to Open Adoption

There are many types of adoption that you can consider when looking to expand your family, and our Missouri adoption attorney are wholly familiar with each one. Two of the most common forms are known as closed and open adoptions, and you will need to know the differences between the two of them before you proceed.

  1. Closed adoptions: No identifying information about the birth family and adoptive family is shared between the two and there is no future contact. The records will be sealed upon finalization and are usually not available to the adopted child, even when they reach the adult age of 18.
  2. Open adoptions: Communication is established in some form between the birth parents, the adoptive parents, and the child – ranging from monthly letters to weekly phone calls to face-to-face meetings. This is typically the case when the child is older and already knows why they are being put up for adoption.

Contact us for Caring Adoption Representation

Many people looking to adopt a child are hopeful for the future but also understandably apprehensive due to the legal process as a whole. At Columbia Family Law Group, LLC, our Missouri adoption lawyers are committed to ensuring that your questions are answered and your concerns directly addressed. We can outline your role as an adoptive parent and make certain you are performing the right type of adoption, according to your individual needs.

Are you ready to add another member to your family?
Contact our Missouri family law and adoption lawyers today!