89 Montford Avenue, Asheville, North Carolina 28801

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Asheville, North Carolina Adoption Lawyers Manage Legal Aspects

Focused on building families in Western North Carolina

Adopting a child brings happiness to families, but a biological parent’s change of heart can turn a joyous occasion into a stressful ordeal. Montford Family Law handles the complex legal procedures and frustrating red tape of the adoption process so you can focus on your new family member.

We help clients with the following areas of adoption:

  • Termination of parental rights
  • Paternity registry
  • Legitimation
  • Open adoptions
  • Closed adoptions
  • Private adoptions
  • Domestic adoptions
  • Step-parent adoptions

Termination of parental rights

Stories abound about birth parents challenging an adoption after it is finalized. These well-publicized news accounts reflect a real fear for adoptive parents. The suffering associated with a badly-handled adoption affects everybody involved — the adoptive parents, the birth parents and the children who are caught in the middle. We ensure that both the birth and adoptive parents’ rights are respected so that the end result is a final adoption that cannot be challenged. We substantiate that the birth parents consent to the adoption freely and voluntarily to avoid claims of fraud, duress and coercion that can be grounds for restoring a birth parent’s rights.

Paternity registry

The biological father has the same rights as the biological mother in deciding whether to voluntarily terminate parental rights. North Carolina laws seek to balance the father’s rights with the well-being of the child through a paternity registry. The process prevents the unsettling disruption of a child’s life caused by a father’s parental claims after the adoption’s finalization. A man who knows — or believes — he is the father of a child can apply to the putative father registry to receive notices of judicial proceedings related to the child, including those associated with the adoption process. Our attorneys take all necessary steps to confirm that the father provides consent or that no father is registered with the database.

Types of adoption

An open adoption agreement permits the biological family to maintain a relationship with the child. The terms of the agreement are established by written contract and can include any level of involvement ranging from regular visits to yearly snapshots exchanged by mail. A closed adoption protects the identity of the biological parents and the child, but may include disclosure of essential information such as the child’s heritage and medical history. Whichever type of adoption you choose, we meticulously draft a contract that reflects the terms of your adoption.

Contact Asheville adoption attorneys

Montford Family Law is located in Asheville, North Carolina and serves clients in Western North Carolina. Call 828-505-7081 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.

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