Stepparent Adoption Lawyers

If you are considering stepparent adoption in Houston, contact Gregory Law PLLC for assistance. Stepparent adoption can be the best way to care for your stepchildren, but it can also be a complicated process in Texas. Adoption of a stepchild requires specific circumstances and strong arguments to be made in order to move forward.

Gregory Law PLLC can help guide you through this process, helping you discover how you can qualify to adopt your stepchild, and then arguing for court approval using the strongest arguments in your case. Our decades of dedicated assistance to clients just like you has led to many happy families that now have the legally recognized protections to keep their family safe and protected.

If you are a stepparent in the Houston area eager to adopt your stepchild or stepchildren, contact Gregory Law PLLC at (713) 861-1293, so we can begin reviewing your case and advising you on the next step.

Why You Should Consult a Lawyer Before Adopting

Texas law makes it very difficult to adopt a stepchild. Texas prefers to provide the full rights of parenthood to the two biological parents, and since the state only recognizes two parents for the child, it is hesitant to remove the rights of parenthood from one of the biological parents in order to bestow those rights on another.

Just because the state does not make this process easy does not mean it will not do it. Stepparent adoption just requires strong legal arguments that can take the facts of your family situation and build a strong case for step-parent adoption.

Your lawyer will know what arguments the court is sympathetic to, and they will know how to build the best argument given the circumstances of your particular case.

While the love you feel for your child may seem like reason enough, the court requires more than that to overturn its preference toward a biological parent. Your lawyer can vastly improve the chance of changing the judge’s mind and win the legal rights of parenthood that match the relationship you already have with your step-child.

Gregory Law PLLC Has Experience Helping Step-Parents Adopt

Adopting a child is about more than just the law; it is about the relationship you have built with your child. In order to build the most successful case for your adoption, you need an attorney who not only understands the law but who cares about the love and affection between you and your step-child.

Gregory Law PLLC was founded on a desire to help Houston-area families become the happiest, safest, and most successful they can be. We care about our clients and their families, and we make sure to work harder because of it. We know that our performance may be the determining factor when it comes to the legal rights over the child you care about. We take that duty seriously, and we make sure to earn the trust you put in us.

At the same time, we have the experience and legal knowledge to know how to transform the emotional reality of your family into a legal reality. Our firm founder, Myrna Gregory, has more than 30 years of experience fighting for families like yours around Houston. We know how to work with the courts and the law to make your arguments stronger and more likely to succeed.

Situations That Can Allow a Step-Parent to Adopt

There are many benefits to step parent adoption, including giving you the legal right to make important decision for your child, a heightened ability to provide for them financially, and an emotional symbol that you are truly their parent. While the courts prefer to provide parental rights to the two biological parents, there are numerous ways we can help you adopt your stepchild. Some of the circumstances that can allow for a step-parent adoption are:

• Death of a biological parent: If only one biological parent is still living, then your case is much easier to pursue. When you do not have to first remove parental rights, there are fewer obstacles to adopting a step-child.
• The absence of a biological parent: If a biological parent has abandoned the child or is unknown, you may be able to terminate their parental rights (if they have not been terminated already). You can also argue that you have acted as the child’s parent in the place of the absence or unknown parent.
• The consent of a biological parent: If the other biological parent is known but does not wish to have a relationship with your step-child, you can request that they voluntarily terminate their parental rights. This allows for an easier and less emotionally fraught transfer of parental rights.
• Circumstances allowing for the termination of parental rights of a biological parent: Should the biological parent not be unknown, absent, or willing to forfeit their parental rights, you can still pursue your adoption by contesting their parental rights. You can argue on grounds of neglect, abuse, and other potential issues that might endanger the child, such as drug abuse. These cases require significant legal skill from your lawyer to overcome the objections of the biological parent.
• The stepchild has reached the age of maturity: If your stepchild is already a legal adult, they have the right to consent to the adoption process without requiring a termination of parental rights.

The above show that there are many arguments we can pursue on your behalf to clear the way for your adoption. Depending on your circumstances, we may use any of the above or pursue other legal options.

Contact Us to Adopt Your Stepchild Today

If you or someone you know wants to legally adopt a stepchild, Gregory Law PLLC can help. Contact our adoption attorneys at (713) 861-1293 to find out more about how we can give your love and sense of protection the legal backing it deserves.