Family Law

Adoptions

While bringing a child into your family through adoption involves a number of legal transactions, an experienced family law attorney can guide you through the process.

Adoptions are divided into a variety of categories, which include:

Private Adoption - Adoptive parents arrange the adoption directly with the biological mother.

Agency Adoption - Agencies that place children with families may be public or private adoption agencies.

Open Adoption - Refers to an adoption in which the adoptive parents and biological parents may remain in communication after the adoption.

Closed Adoption - Is an adoption where the adoptive and biological parents do not know one another and no contact permitted between them and the child after adoption

Foreign Adoption - The U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service regulates the adoption of children from other countries. Foreign adoptions may be transacted privately or through an adoption agency.

Stepparent Adoption - If a parent marries again after a divorce, the new spouse may adopt the child.

Inter-family Adoption - Family members, such as brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles or grandparents may adopt a child when death, divorce or some other inability to care for the child arises.

Laws regulate the costs adoptive parents are allowed to pay biological parents. It is a crime to pay excessive money for an adoption. A lawyer experienced in family law and adoptions can protect the rights of the child, as well as the rights of the adoptive parents.

At the law firm of Meriwether & Tharp, we welcome the opportunity to discuss your adoption alternatives. To arrange a consultation, please call our office at 678-879-9000 or e-mail us at familylaw@mtlawoffice.com to schedule an appointment to meet with an attorney on our family law team. Consultations are charged at our normal hourly rate.

Georgia Attorneys providing legal services in the areas of Business Transactions, Business Litigation, and Family Law, from divorce to child support, in the Atlanta metro area including, but not limited to Alpharetta, Buford, Canton, Cumming, Decatur, Roswell, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Sandy Springs, Marietta, Duluth, Dunwoody, Woodstock, Milton, and Johns Creek.