Considering Adoption in Texas?
Experienced Adoption Lawyers in Flower Mound Texas Help Facilitate All Types of Adoptions
Although Texas adoption law prevents us from arranging adoptions, The Julian Firm guides adoptive parents through the complex adoption process. Our adoption lawyers in Flower Mound Texas help our clients understand Texas adoption law eligibility requirements. This may include passing criminal background checks and gaining consent from biological parents. Additionally, we file adoption documentation and paperwork along the way. Since adoption means changing your legal rights as parents, we strongly recommend a family law attorney to help transfer guardianship rights to you or someone else.
The best adoption attorney in Flower Mound TX is someone who can ensure the entire adoption process is organized and filed correctly. This then saves you from possible legal hang-ups, delays and even an adoption denial. Because of this, our adoption lawyers in Flower Mound Texas facilitate the entire adoption process. This then allows you to focus on welcoming your new family member(s) home. We have successfully brought families together throughout Tarrant, Dallas and Denton Counties. Additionally, attorney Jared Julian is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
What Types of Adoption are Available in Texas?
Our adoption attorneys in Flower Mound TX are dedicated to helping prospective parents navigate all types of adoption in Texas, including:
- Private Adoptions: In a private adoption, the birth parents and adoptive parents connect without adoption agency involvement. Private adoption is the most common type of adoption in Texas. Stepparent adoption and grandparent adoption are forms of private adoption. Biological parents must terminate their parental rights for this type of adoption to proceed.
- Agency Adoptions: Adoption agencies act as an intermediary between birth parents and adoptive parents. First, the adoptive parents submit an application for an adoption. Then, the agency finds birth parents wishing to put their child up for adoption.
- Open Adoptions: In an open adoption, both the adoptive parents and biological parents agree to exchange personal information, and continue contact over the years.
- Closed Adoptions: In a closed adoption, there is no contact between the two sets of parents after the adoption is finalized.
What is the Difference between a Texas Open Adoption and Closed Adoption?
Texas adoption agencies often let the biological mother decide how much contact she would like to have and level of personal information she would like to disclose with the adoptive family. This will then determine whether your adoption will be open or closed.
An open adoption in Texas can include:
- Knowledge of biological parents’ first and last names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses
- Direct and open sharing of news regarding the child
- Regular in-person visits
Another option for adoption available in Texas is a semi-open adoption. In such cases, the birth mother may not wish to have direct contact with the adoptive parents. Instead, she wants to receive correspondences, such as photos or news, through a mediator.
In a Texas closed adoption, the adoptive family receives little information regarding the child’s birth parents other than mandatory medical history records. There is no contact between the biological and adoptive family. Fewer birth mothers opt for closed adoptions in Texas than open adoptions.
How to Adopt Stepchildren in Texas
To adopt your stepchild through a private adoption in Flower Mound, Texas adoption law requires you to file a petition with the court. The child’s biological, noncustodial parent will then have to voluntarily surrender and transfer his or her parental rights to you. The termination of parental rights is permanent and irreversible. As a result, this voluntary consent can be difficult to obtain. In some cases, our adoption lawyers in Flower Mound Texas may ask for a court intervention for the termination of non-custodial parental rights.
What are Home Social Studies for Texas Adoptions?
For any adoption petition filed in Texas, the court requires a Social Study. This determines whether the adoption is in the best interest of the child. The study will investigate the home environment among other important factors during a home visit. It may also involve criminal background checks, analysis of your financial circumstance and interview-style questions with anyone who resides in your home. The results of the Social Study will strongly influence the court’s decision to either approve or deny the adoption.
How Much is An Adoption Attorney in Flower Mound TX?
The cost to hire adoption lawyers in Flower Mound Texas will vary based upon the complexity of the adoption, and whether the termination of the birth parents’ parental rights is voluntary or not.
Adoption Attorney in Flower Mound TX Near Me
Meet with our adoption lawyers in Flower Mound Texas today to learn more about how we can assist with your private adoption, open adoption or closed adoption. We also provide legal services for a variety of family law issues, including child support, child custody and divorce. Our clients typically reside in Flower Mound, Plano, McKinney and Richardson; however, we assist clients throughout North Dallas and the surrounding DFW Metroplex area. Call (972) 459-4400 to learn more.