How Can a Charleston Adoption Lawyer Help?
Adoption is the process of assuming parental rights and responsibilities for a child from the child’s birth parent or parents, and adoption is a permanent change in legal status. New adoption regulations in South Carolina have made the process complex and have presented new challenges and opportunities, both for parents adopting a child or giving up a child for adoption.
Several legal requirements exist when adopting a child, including the need to terminate the birth parent’s rights. Whether you choose private adoption or are seeking to adopt a stepchild, a Charleston SC adoption attorney can help guide you through the complexities and legal requirements to achieve your goal for your family.
An Experienced Charleston Adoption Attorney
The Charleston adoption lawyers at Ayers Family Law Firm can help you navigate the legal and official aspects of your case. We handle a wide variety of SC adoption cases:
Private adoptions refer to cases in which the child is adopted directly from their birth parents. In private adoptions, the birth mother has a say in which qualifying family gets to adopt the child. The birth mother can also dictate terms for how much contact she will have with the child and their new family once the adoption is finalized. Both adoption agencies and an adoption attorney can help facilitate private adoptions to ensure that all the legal requirements are met.
Interstate adoptions refer to cases in which either the birth mother or the adopting parents reside outside of the state out South Carolina. For interstate cases, an adoption attorney must ensure that the adoption meets the legal requirements as dictated by the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC).
Public agency adoptions involve placing children who are currently in state-sponsored foster program into new families.
Family adoptions are cases in which a child is adopted by a step parent, or by a close relative such as an aunt or an uncle.
Open adoptions refer to situations in which the birth mother and the adopting parents have information about one another – whether this information is simply a first name or is an ongoing friendship or relationship. Open adoptions enable the birth mother to play a role in which adopting family assumes custody of the child.
Closed adoptions refer to situations in which a birth mother puts their child up for adoption without every knowing anything about the adopting family.
Whatever the scope of your Charleston case, Ayers Family Law Firm can help you ensure all the legal requirements are met so you can begin life with your new family as seamlessly as possible. Call 843-628-2871 today, or click below to schedule a consultation with a Charleston adoption attorney.