Home Adoption

Texas Adoption Attorneys

Work With a Skilled Adoption Attorney in Texas

Adopting a child is one of the happiest and most rewarding times in a person’s life. There can be a lot of steps between making the decision to adopt and giving a child a new home, but our team of adoption lawyers in Texas is here to support you every step of the way. At Goranson Bain Ausley, you can connect with an adoption lawyer in Texas who has assisted couples in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Granbury, Midland, and Plano through many private adoptions.

There are several ways to adopt, and our Texas adoption attorneys can help explain the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Their expansive knowledge base can help you decide which path is right for your family. Our attorneys can also assist in developing strategies for potential issues such as:

Establishing legal guidelines for open/closed adoptions
Creating safeguards to protect adoptees involved in relative adoptions
Responding to biological parents/surrogates who petition for rights

Relative Adoptions

Adopting a relative like a grandchild, niece/nephew, or cousin is considered a relative adoption. While many families enter into kinship care relationships informally, a legally binding relative adoption requires the termination of the parental rights of both parents before beginning a standard adoption process.
Stepparent Adoptions

Stepparent adoption occurs when a new spouse petitions the court to become a legal parent of their child or children by marriage, and it’s the most common type of adoption in the United States. If both primary parents are still living with parental rights intact, the rights of one parent must be terminated before the process of a stepparent adoption can be initiated.
Infant Adoptions

Separate from a foster, or public, adoption of a baby, infant adoptions are usually private adoptions based on an agreement between birth parents who are voluntarily relinquishing their parental rights and the adoptive parent or parents. Ethical and compassionate adoption attorneys play a key role in protecting the rights of the birth family, the adoptive family, and the child involved in private adoptions.
Foster Child Adoptions

Adopting a child out of foster care is considered a public adoption. An adoption attorney can help foster parents navigate Department of Family and Protective Services requirements. Adoption attorneys also represent foster parents’ positions at case conferences, appeals hearings, and court appearances.
International Adoptions

International adoptions are governed by strict state, federal, and international regulations. It is best to choose a Texas adoption agency that is Hague-accredited and licensed to execute adoptions in the country you have selected. Many agencies purport to handle all of the paperwork related to international adoption, but we recommend that families pursuing adoption from outside of the United States also engage a Texas adoption attorney to ensure that all citizenship requirements are met. Once you are home with your child, it is also beneficial to go through a re-adoption process. An international re-adoption is when a Texas court issues an order that gives your child a U.S.-issued birth certificate and creates a clear record of your child’s U.S. citizenship and your parent-child relationship.
LGBTQ Adoptions

Texas law allows married LGBTQIA+ couples to follow the same adoption processes as heterosexual couples, regardless of the type of adoption. This includes surrogacy and the adoption of a partner’s biological child or children. If you and your partner are not married, it is likely that you will have to adopt as two single people jointly adopting the same child or children, with a six-month gap between the finalization of one parent’s adoption and the beginning of the second.
State (Interstate) Adoptions

To give children eligible for domestic adoption the best chances of finding a stable, caring home regardless of where they live, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are part of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), an agreement that ensures the stability and protects the rights of adopted children regardless of which state they were born/placed in. The ICPC establishes uniform processes for adoption across state lines, but each state still has its own unique regulatory requirements, so if you’re adopting in Texas, you’ll need the assistance of an experienced adoption attorney in Texas.

Issues Involved in the Decision to Adopt

The decision to adopt a child can be one of the most rewarding, joyous, and altruistic moments of a person’s life. It can be the start of a richer, happier future for both parent and child.

A primary concern of couples who choose to adopt is consent. In addition, many decisions must be made about the level of contact, if any, the birth parents will have with the child and the finalization of the adoption.

Adoptions give rise to an array of complex legal issues such as:

What happens if a biological parent or surrogate has second thoughts?
What if the biological parents reach out several years later and would like to see their child?
Can the biological parents petition for rights?
What are the legal guidelines for an open/closed adoption?
If adopting the child of a relative who cannot meet their parental obligations, what safeguards need to be in place?
What does an adopting parent need to know about their rights and obligations before legally adopting a stepchild, grandchild or foster child?

These are valid questions when considering adoption. But you don’t need to let the process intimidate you. A Texas adoption lawyer from Goranson Bain Ausley can walk you through all of these issues step by step, providing the legal and emotional support you need to extend your family.

How the Adoption Process Works in Texas

There are procedural differences between private adoptions and adopting through the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS); however, the law governing adoptions in Texas requires the same basic steps.

These are the steps in the adoption process:

Information meeting: In addition to meeting age requirements and being able to pass a criminal background check, you must be willing to go through every step in the adoption process. This meeting informs you about the requirements and steps and lets you ask preliminary questions.

Preparation meeting: Next, you meet with DFPS staff to further assess if adoption is right for you while allowing the staff to assess your qualifications.

Training: Texas provides a 35-hour Parent Resource Information Development Education (PRIDE) course that includes instruction regarding basic child care along with specific considerations for each prospective adoptive parent. Prospective adoptive parents also participate in three additional training and certification programs outside of the PRIDE program, each designed to further educate the adoptive parents about meeting the needs of their adoptive child.

Home visit: Expect a home visit from a DFPS caseworker to review your personal history, lifestyle, experience caring for children, and many other factors designed to determine whether you are an appropriate candidate for adoption. Each member of your household, including other children, is interviewed so that a complete picture of the prospective family unit can be developed.

Each step you complete prior to beginning the adoption process prepares your family to bring a new child into your home and helps ensure a seamless integration with your family. These steps are basically the same for families who wish to open their homes to children in need of foster care.

Work With a Trusted Texas Adoption Attorney to Develop Your Plan

Meet Our Team

We understand that the legal side of adoption can seem intimidating, but the experienced attorneys at Goranson Bain Ausley can help make it as stress-free as possible. When you work with us, you will have experienced adoption lawyers in Texas by your side who can guide you through the process step by step. We can also help you compare the advantages and disadvantages of private adoptions versus going through an agency. An adoption attorney in Texas from our firm will assist you in creating an adoption strategy that is right for you and your family as well as provide all the legal and emotional support you need to extend your family.

Whether you need an adoption attorney in Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, Granbury, Midland, or Plano, we can offer you comprehensive resources, an experienced team, and a strong commitment to helping you execute your adoption plan. Contact us today to schedule a consultation. We look forward to helping you with this exciting journey.

Meet Our Team