{"id":33,"date":"2010-08-15T19:04:08","date_gmt":"2010-08-15T19:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/demo.studiopress.com\/genesis"},"modified":"2013-05-29T15:51:37","modified_gmt":"2013-05-29T20:51:37","slug":"adoption","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.billmcnamaralaw.com\/home\/services\/adoption\/","title":{"rendered":"Adoption"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Adoption\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Adopting a child can be one of the most fulfilling and satisfying experiences in your life.<\/p>\n

Hiring an attorney for an adoption is commonly called a “private adoption.”\u00a0 Examples of a “private adoption” are when a married person seeks to adopt their step-child, or when the child is adopted by\u00a0relatives.<\/p>\n

Most adoptions are conducted through adoption agencies that will have their own attorney who will complete the legal process.\u00a0 The State of Texas\u00a0gives adoption agencies\u00a0the widest possible range for adoptive placements.\u00a0 Any single or married adult is eligible to adopt a child.\u00a0 Adoptions can end badly.\u00a0\u00a0Only hire\u00a0a reputable agency.<\/p>\n

No matter whether you are using an adoption agency or a private attorney, here are the Texas basics:<\/p>\n

Adoptions are governed by Chapter 162<\/a> of the Texas Family Code.<\/p>\n

If the child is born in a\u00a0state other than Texas and you are a Texas resident, you MUST comply with the Interstate Compact on Placement of Children Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you are married, both spouses must join in the petition for adoption.<\/p>\n

A report regarding the child’s health, social, educational, and genetic history must be completed prior to the adoption.\u00a0 The report should include a history of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse suffered by the child.\u00a0 The report will not identify the birth parents or their families.\u00a0 As a prospective adoptive parent you have the right to examine the records and other information relating to the child’s history.\u00a0 If you are an adult and have been adopted, you are\u00a0entitled to examine these records as well.<\/p>\n

Each person seeking to adopt a child will have to obtain their own criminal history record.<\/p>\n

The first step in the adoption process is terminating one or more\u00a0of the birth parents\u2019 rights.\u00a0 Usually, the birth parents voluntarily terminate their rights.\u00a0 Termination of parental rights is governed by Chapter 161 of the Texas Family Code.<\/p>\n

These are only the basics. There are numerous other legal matters that must be addressed to complete an adoption successfully.\u00a0 I can help you do that.<\/p>\n

Bill McNamara<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adopting a child can be one of the most fulfilling and satisfying experiences in your life. Hiring an attorney for an adoption is commonly called a “private adoption.”\u00a0 Examples of a “private adoption” are when a married person seeks to adopt their step-child, or when the child is adopted by\u00a0relatives. Most adoptions are conducted through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294,"parent":31,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-33","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"entry"},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P2efoE-x","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billmcnamaralaw.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billmcnamaralaw.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billmcnamaralaw.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billmcnamaralaw.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billmcnamaralaw.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.billmcnamaralaw.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":334,"href":"https:\/\/www.billmcnamaralaw.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33\/revisions\/334"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billmcnamaralaw.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billmcnamaralaw.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billmcnamaralaw.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}