New York Stepparent Adoption Lawyers
There are more stepparent adoptions in the U.S. than all other types of adoptions combined. At the Greenberg & Greenberg law firm in New York City, we are ready to help you adopt your stepchild and make legal and permanent that which is already so clear in your heart and mind — that this child is loved so much by you.
Stepparent Adoption ∙ Family or Surrogates Court Attorneys
Contact Us ∙ 347-448-5674 ∙ 877-340-0995
Over more than 20 years of adoption law practice, we have represented hundreds of stepparents throughout New York. Our experience in this field enables us to navigate the sometimes rough waters of Family or Surrogates Court to expedite the process and create this new legal relationship for your family.
Can You Adopt Your Stepchild? What Is Parental Consent?
If you want to adopt a stepchild, you must have the consent of the child's other parent. The relevant documents are completed by our office, and forwarded by our office to the biological parent. By giving his or her consent, the noncustodial parent gives up all responsibilities, including child support, but also renounces all rights related to the child, including visitation and child custody rights. If the biological parent refuses to sign a Surrender, we have extensive experience in litigation in Family and Surrogates court in order to terminate this person's parental rights. If the child is 14 years or older, he or she needs to consent to the adoption.
What is involved in preparing to adopt your child
We will send you a retainer to sign and return to our office. You will find a petition for adoption and supporting documents, which we file in court on your behalf. One of the documents serves as the vehicle to change your child's name, if you desire. We appear with you in court, and usually that day you will receive a certificate of adoption. Additionally, a new birth certificate is issued from the department of health, which contains the adopting parent's name thereon. Adoption day is one of the most important days of your child's life, as it makes legal that which has been true all along. The love for your child is now officially recognized by the State of New York and you've become now and forever the legal parent to your child.
Caring, Compassionate, Experienced at Adoption Law
New York adoption attorney Cliff Greenberg has devoted most of his law practice to helping adoptive parents become the legal parents of the children they love. Adoption law has been his true passion from the first days of his legal career. In his early years, he helped adoptive parents at the Juvenile Rights Division of The Legal Aid Society of Manhattan and zealously protected the rights of children as a law guardian.
Today, Cliff lectures at over a dozen agencies and adoption conferences to share his wealth of knowledge about the adoption process. During these lectures, he reads from two children's books he wrote that deal with adoption from a child's vantage point.
When you want an attorney who has extensive stepparent adoption experience and a strong passion for adoption cases, turn to Greenberg & Greenberg. Contact us for an appointment. We are ready to help you.
