Adoption

Treasure Coast, St. Lucie County Adoption Lawyer

Adoption can be one of the most fulfilling events in an individual’s life. It not only creates an emotional bond, but also a legal bond.  There are several types of adoption and our Fort Pierce adoption attorney at the Cunzo & Bishop Ames Law Firm, PLLC is prepared to help you understand your legal options and establish the most beneficial type of adoption tailored to your circumstances.

Founding attorney Kim A. Cunzo, Esq. of Cunzo & Bishop Ames, PLLC represents men and women in Florida throughout the Treasure Coast in a diverse range of adoption cases, primarily focusing on stepparent and relative adoptions. E-mail us to learn how our firm can assist you.

A St. Lucie County Stepparent Adoption Lawyer Helping You Establish a Family

Who May Adopt  A Child?

Adults who live and work in the state, are of good character, and have the ability to nurture and provide for a child’s material needs  may adopt. Single adults, as well as married couples, may adopt. A stepparent may adopt his or her spouse’s children.  The Cunzo & Bishop Ames Law Firm, PLLC has also handled same sex adoption cases.

Having helped several families navigate the often complex adoption process, Cunzo & Bishop Ames, PLLC not only recognizes the concerns you may have, but can also help you successfully overcome them. Four types of adoptions exist in Florida: The entity adoption (an agency or intermediary facilitated adoption), the step-parent adoption, the close relative adoption, and the adult adoption. Each type of adoption has a unique procedure.

With a comprehensive understanding of Florida’s extensive and rigorous adoption laws, our attorney is committed to assisting you with creating a family through  any of the four adoptions:

Entity Adoption: When pursuing the entity adoption, prospective adoptive parents must decide whether to pursue their adoption through an agency or an attorney (“intermediary”). This type of adoption involves any person who is not related to the child.

Not only does an entity adoption require both biological parents to relinquish their parental rights, but it also entails a home study to be conducted by a third party agency. The agency will review the adoptive home and run a criminal background check on the individuals living in the home.

Cunzo & Bishop Ames, PLLC is deeply knowledgeable of the legal steps that are involved in an entity adoption, and is prepared to help you with:

• Obtaining consent of the biological father and mother for the termination of parental rights by petitioning the court
• Finding an agency to conduct the necessary home study
• Handling all required adoption paperwork

Because  more legal steps are involved in an entity adoption, especially in cases where the biological parents do not consent, these adoptions may take months or even years to conclude.

Stepparent Adoption: Stepparent adoptions create a legal relationship between the child and his or her stepparent. After the adoption, the step-parent has all rights and responsibilities of  a biological parent. In step-parent adoptions, as with all other adoptions, if the child is twelve years of age or older, he or she must give his/her consent to the adoption by signing a written consent, which is filed with the court..

When you consult with the Cunzo & Bishop Ames Law Firm, PLLC regarding a stepparent adoption, you can expect our lawyer to work closely with you to learn about your family and help you understand the steps that need to be taken to establish the adoption. Our firm will help you:

• Obtain the consent of the biological father or mother for the termination of parental rights
• File the necessary stepparent adoption pleadings
• Represent you in family court in the event that the biological mother or father does not consent in the termination of his or her parental rights
• Represent you in family court at the Final Hearing for Adoption

In a stepparent adoption, as long the biological mother or father has been properly served, and has consented to the adoption, or if the biological parent fails to attend the final hearing, the judge will enter a Final Judgment of Adoption, thereby terminating the biological parent’s parental rights. Since home studies are not required in stepparent adoptions, the process to adopt is much  quicker.

In addition to stepparent and non-relative adoption, the Cunzo & Bishop Ames Law Firm, PLLC can assist you with  relative adoptions (when a minor is related to one of the adoptive parents within the third degree of consanguinity, such as an aunt/uncle or grandparent), same gender/sex adoptions, and adult adoptions..

Our goal at the Cunzo & Bishop Ames Law Firm, PLLC is to help you create realistic expectations in your adoption case by educating you of the laws and the legal processes involved in the type of adoption you wish to establish. We are committed to assisting you, and will make this process as easy and efficient and affordable as possible.