Chicago Adoption Attorneys
Like marriage, adoption is a legal means of adding someone to your immediate family. Adoption can be a complex and time-consuming process. A successful adoption requires careful planning and professional guidance through Illinois adoption law.
Illinois recognizes a wide range of relationships created by adoption. One of the most common Illinois adoption arrangements is step-parent adoption, in which a step-parent takes on the legal responsibility for a child, terminating the birth parent’s responsibility. A successful step-parent adoption includes navigating the background checks required by Illinois law and ensuring that any objections by the biological parent are addressed.
Illinois also recognizes co-parent adoption, an option for same-sex couples in which one partner wishes to formally adopt the other’s child. A co-parent adoption gives the non-birth parent the power to make important decisions on behalf of the child, including decisions about the child’s schooling and medical care. For same-sex couples raising children, the value of a co-parent adoption is immeasurable.
Illinois also provides for families to adopt children directly from birth parents, via public or private adoption agencies, or after providing foster care for a child.
Grandparents or relatives wishing to keep a child in the family may consider grandparent or relative adoption, allowing these family members to take on the responsibility and joy of raising a family member’s child. Likewise, for family members wishing to ensure that children or adults are protected after the family member’s death, adult adoption and standby adoption create the legal relationship necessary for Illinois courts to recognize the bonds of guardianship and inheritance in the face of a parent’s sudden death or incapacitation.
Illinois also provides for families to adopt children directly from birth parents, via public or private adoption agencies, or after providing foster care for a child. These adoptions may be "open," permitting the exchange of personal details between birth and adoptive parents, or they may be "closed," in which the birth and adoptive parents remain anonymous to one another. Both birth parents and adoptive parents will benefit from professional, compassionate advice on the legal and personal concerns involved in choosing an open or closed adoption.
For some parents, international adoption is a better fit than domestic adoption. If you wish to choose a child’s race or gender, want to adopt multiple children at once, or wish to add a child to a family with biological children, international adoption may be the right fit for you. International adoptions also occur, in most cases, within a set time frame, with adoption virtually certain as long as you meet the requirements of the child’s country of origin. Some countries offer support for families seeking to adopt groups of siblings or disabled children, since these children are more difficult to place. You must also be prepared for health issues. Medical histories for internationally adopted children can be maddeningly scarce. Speaking to an experienced Illinois adoption lawyer at Nottage and Ward can help you decide if international adoption is right for you.
Creating a family by adoption is a life-affirming event. A wide range of options exists to help you build your family. The experienced Chicago adoption attorneys at Nottage and Ward will walk you through your options and represent your interests in court and with adoption agencies and birth parents as you seek to complete your family. Call Nottage and Ward today to schedule a consultation and see if our adoption experience fits your needs.
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