adoption

[the wiseman]

What is the name of your state? fl. i am wanting to adopt my step son he is 8 and i have been apart of his life for the past 5 years. his bio dad is not in the picture at all. what do i need to do beside find a lawyer? can it be done with out one, if not how much will it cost? how long does the process take?

 

[Seanscott]

In our stepparent adoption, it took about 11 months and cost about $1500. If the biological father contests the adoption, the expense will probably be more, and take longer.

The first step begins with the stepparent filing a "petition to adopt". That starts the ball rolling toward a paternity test (if needed), a hearing to terminate biodad's parental rights, then the adoption hearings.

It's somewhat complicated and you should at least have a consultation with a good family attorney.

 

[haiku]

call a lawyer and ask, sometimes the courthouse is helpful also. in my state, for an uncontested adoption, no lawyer involved, it took a 50 dollar filing fee, one month to get all the papers in order, and 5 minutes before a judge.