Adoption
Helping You Grow Your South Carolina Family
Adopting a child is one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences you will ever go through. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most complex.
The list of laws that apply to adoptions can be overwhelming, which is why it is so important to work with an attorney who has experience in this area of family law. Indigo Family Law can help you to navigate the complex legal waters of adoption, and avoid problems that could lead to delays or heartache.
Personal Experience with Adoption
When we say that Indigo Family Law has experience in adoption law, we don’t just mean that we’ve helped clients in this area. Brana Williams and her husband Jim have six – yes, you read that right – adopted children.
Brana has spent years going through this process in the most intimate of ways – for her own children. It’s why she chose to make adoption law an important part of her firm.
Simply, she knows South Carolina adoption law as well as anyone could ever hope to and she is willing to put her personal and legal experience to work for every client.
Help with All Types of Adoptions
There are many different types of adoption. Finding the one that is best for you (and your future child) is important, but it will also have many legal implications. The following are some of the most common areas of adoption to consider:
- Step-Parent Adoption – One of the most common form of adoption is step-parent adoption. When your new spouse has children, adopting these children as your own cements your new family’s bond. Step-parent adoption requires the parental rights of one parent to be terminated to allow a child to be adopted by the other parent’s spouse or partner. This process can sometimes be quite demanding when a parent denies his or her consent to terminate parental rights.
- Domestic vs Foreign – One of the first things to look at is where your child is from. If you choose foreign adoption, you’ll need to work through potential immigration issues in addition to the adoption process. If you’re looking to adopt a domestic born infant, you may have to be on a long waiting list. There are, of course, many factors to consider when choosing where your child will be from.
- Infant vs. Older Child – Another important area of consideration is the age of the child. Infants are typically more ‘in demand,’ which can result in a lengthy delay. Adopting older children may have other legal difficulties such as working with an existing family, or the foster care system.
- Single or Multiple Children – Are you looking to adopt a single child, or would you consider adopting siblings that need parents?
- Open or Closed Adoption – A growing number of people are adopting children with a legal agreement that the biological mother (and possibly father) will be able to have certain rights. This could be as simple as getting occasional updates from the adoptive parents, or setting up a visitation schedule of some type.
- Grandparent Adoption – Today many grandparents are the “parents” of their grandchildren for a variety of reasons. In most cases, South Carolina law provides a method to make this emotional relationship legal.
Getting Help with This Complex Process
As you can see, adopting a child isn’t as simple as finding a child who needs a parent and taking them home. Brana and the Indigo Family Law team are here to help answer all your questions and make sure everything is handled properly to avoid issues. Contact the team at Indigo Family Law today to discuss your goals, and see how we can help you bring a child into your family.