Memphis Adoption Lawyer
Adoption is a meaningful step, and having the right support makes the process clearer and less stressful. When you are seeking guidance, our Memphis, TN adoption lawyer may provide direction and help you move forward with confidence. Our team at Patterson Bray is here to listen, build solutions that match your needs, and support your family’s goals. Contact us today to get the legal help you deserve.
Memphis, TN Adoption Lawyer
An adoption lawyer in Memphis provides legal services to families who want to welcome a child into their home. This process may involve private adoptions, agency placements, stepparent adoptions, or relative adoptions. While it can feel overwhelming at first, what most families really want is a straightforward path that allows them to build their future together. A Memphis adoption lawyer from our firm may guide you through every step and help you understand your rights and responsibilities.
Each adoption case is unique, which is why tailored strategies are so important. Some families may be seeking to finalize an uncontested adoption, while others may face issues involving parental rights, interstate requirements, or court hearings. Our role is to provide practical legal solutions that make sense for your situation. Instead of focusing on obstacles, we aim to help you achieve the outcome that creates stability for your family.
We also recognize that adoption can bring emotional challenges alongside the legal process. For many clients, it is a time of change filled with questions about the future. Having the right legal guidance provides not only clarity about the requirements but also the reassurance that you have a trusted advocate. Our focus is on giving you strategies that work today while protecting your family’s future for years to come.
Why Experience Matters In Adoption Cases
When choosing legal representation for adoption, experience makes all the difference. It can affect timelines, compliance with state requirements, and the overall confidence families feel throughout the process. Our team combines years of dedication with practical strategies, giving clients reliable support in building their families.
Highlights of our experience include:
- Over 20 years of combined practice in adoption and family law matters
- Strong academic backgrounds from respected universities and ongoing professional training
- Recognition and accolades for service and commitment to Tennessee families
- A track record of successful adoptions in both straightforward and complicated cases
- Testimonials from clients who now enjoy stability and peace of mind with their children
Clients turn to us not only for answers but also for problem-solving. We take pride in creating strategies that are effective, cost-conscious, and focused on reaching favorable outcomes. Our success is measured by the trust clients place in us and the new beginnings they experience through adoption.
Building Your Family With Confidence
Adoption is a life-changing decision, but you do not have to face it alone. At Patterson Bray PLLC, we are committed to offering trusted guidance and solutions that support your family every step of the way. If you are ready to take the next step with a Memphis adoption lawyer, contact us today to schedule a consultation and begin your adoption journey.
How Adoption Works In Tennessee
Adoption is the legal process by which a child legally becomes part of a non-biological family through court action. The adoption process is two-fold: 1) terminating the parental rights of a biological parent and 2) establishing a parent-child relationship with the adoptive parent. In this process, Courts are required to terminate the parental rights of a biological parent based on consent or certain statutory grounds.
Sometimes this is accomplished by agreement through a legal process called “parental consent” or “surrender”. Sometimes the termination of parental rights is accomplished through a contested hearing. The hearing and appeals can take many months or even years. Courts then make a determination that the adoption is in the best interest of the minor child being adopted.
With all Tennessee adoptions, other than relative adoptions, the child must be in the physical custody of the adoptive parents for six months prior to the finalization of the adoption. Once the adoption has been approved and finalized, the parents who have adopted the child will have the same legal rights as the birth parents of said child. Additionally, the adopted child has the same rights and benefits that it would have if it was actually born to those parents. In Tennessee, an adopted child is issued a new birth certificate naming the adoptive parent as a legal parent of the child.
Types of Adoption
Adoptions can be divided into various types based on a number of factors. Each adoption type has specific requirements and hurdles. The types of adoptions in Tennessee are:
Step-parent adoption: The most common form of adoption in Tennessee. In most cases, the minor child has lived with the person filing for step-parent adoption, and the adopting step-parent has been a major part in the child’s life for some time; the step-parent has been acting in loco parentis, i.e. as a parent. The formal adoption process is merely a legality.
Relative adoption: Tennessee law defines relatives as grandparents or any degree of great-grandparents, aunts or uncles, or any degree of great aunts or uncles, or step-parent or cousins of the first degree or any siblings of the whole or half degree or any spouse of the above-listed relatives.
State adoptions: The child is in state custody. The child is placed in a foster home, which is often the home of the prospective adoptive parents.
Private adoptions: The child is placed in a family with or without an adoption agency for the purposes of adoption.
International adoptions: Children are generally in orphanages in foreign countries. Foreign adoptions are a two-step process: 1) adoption in the foreign country, and 2) re-adoption of the child once the child is in the United States.
Adult Adoption: the person being adopted is over the age of eighteen and consents to the adoption.
Surrogacy/Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART)–child is being conceived through in vitro fertilization and will be either carried by a surrogate or will be carried by the adoptive mother.
If you have questions about the adoption process or need legal counsel to secure the adoption of a loved one, contact the adoption lawyer Memphis, TN trusts at Patterson Bray to discuss your options.
