Colorado has very specific requirements for parents going through adoption cases, including special rules for children who have Native American heritage.
We handle all types of adoptions, including:
Custodial Adoption
A non-relative may adopt a child if they have had the child in their physical care for a year or longer, they have legal custody or guardianship of the child, and the birth parents have abandoned or failed to pay child support for a year or longer.
Kinship Adoption or Adoption by Certain Relatives
An aunt, uncle, sister, brother, half-sibling, 1st cousin or grandparent may adopt a child if they have had the child in their physical care for a year or longer. If the relative is married, their spouse must also petition for adoption.
Second Parent Adoption
In 2007, Colorado passed a law allowing a child to be adopted by a second adult when the sole legal parent agrees to the adoption. We represent the interests of all non-traditional families, including gay or lesbian couples who want to proceed with the adoption process.
Stepparent Adoption
We assist the stepparent in forming a new legal relationship with their spouse’s child. We also help clients determine if the parental rights of the other parent may be involuntarily terminated. The parental rights of the other parent may be terminated in situations where child support has not been paid for a year or longer or the child has been abandoned for a year or longer by the other parent.
Contested Adoption
When a presumed or alleged birth father seeks to object to an adoption, we can help you deal with this contested adoption by legally freeing the child and terminating the parental rights whenever possible.
We can also assist with adult adoptions or validations of foreign adoptions. Let us help you build your family. Please contact us for insightful, caring guidance throughout the adoption process.