Adoption

Colorado Springs Family Adoption Attorney

Looking for a Colorado Springs adoption lawyer? As family law practitioners, we get a great deal of satisfaction helping Colorado Springs families grow and stay together. Whether you are adopting a stepchild, a grandchild or through an adoption agency; whether the adoption is open or closed - our attorneys can guide you through the Colorado adoption process and out the other side. If you contact the Marrison Law Firm, we can help you become a family.

When people think of adoptions, they usually picture a newborn in a closed adoption by parents who were previously unrelated to the child. While that is a part of our practice, it's not the most common form of adoption. Most adoptions we see happen within families. Grandparent adoption and step-parent adoption are the most common types of family adoption. If the grandparents have been a part of the child's life more than the parents, they can establish certain visitation rights and custody rights instead of adopting.

Just like a non-family adoption, in order to successfully orchestrate a stepparent adoption, you will need to terminate the parental rights of the biological parent. In Colorado, there are certain situations in which a child is eligible for adoption. If a biological parent has not kept up with child support payments or there has been no contact between the biological parent and the child for over a year, you will have a case for the termination of parental rights necessary to proceed with a stepparent adoption.

Some Facts You Should Know about Colorado Adoption

First, there are no adoptions while the baby is in the womb. According to Colorado law, the baby has to be born.

Adoption usually takes place in two steps. The first step is the relinquishment of the birth parent's rights. Once that is done, the child is free to be adopted by the adoptive parent.

When you start the adoption process in Colorado, it is wise not to move out of the county. Each county does their own adoptions. If you move, you may have to start the process over again: file new papers, have another home study, and so on. If you want the process to go quickly and smoothly, stay where you are.

Adopting a child is a big step that can take months to achieve. Before embarking on this endeavor, please talk to us. We can outline all your options and help you determine whether - and when - adoption is right for you.

Contact the Marrison Law Firm to hear more about step-parent adoption in Colorado.