Respected San Jose Adoption Lawyers

Stepparent and interfamily adoptions can be complex. In most situations, the biological mother or father must consent to relinquishing his or her parental rights. However, it is not always necessary. At Lonich & Patton, LLP in San Jose, California, we have significant experience in guiding clients through the adoption process.

Experienced Adoption Attorneys

Building and strengthening families through adoption is a joyful and stressful process. It is important to recognize that adoption terminates one person's paternal rights and obligations, and transfers those rights and obligations to another person. Those rights and obligations include custody, visitation and financial support.

A stepparent, grandparent or interfamily adoption requires one or both biological parents to have their parental rights terminated. While getting the consent of the biological mother or father is the simplest way to move forward with a stepparent adoption, there are a number of methods that can be used to terminate parental rights:

• Consent - A biological parent signs a form consenting to the adoption and terminating his or her parental rights.
• Willful failure to support - A custodial parent can seek the termination of parental rights if the other biological parent has failed to support and communicate with a child for at least one year.
• Abandonment - If a parent failed to either support or communicate with the child, but not both, it is still possible to seek the termination of parental rights on the grounds of abandonment. However, these can become very complicated proceedings.
• Termination of rights of an alleged father - This is a process used to terminate parental rights in cases where the parents were never married but there is a presumed father.

Our firm has the experience to represent clients in contested and uncontested stepparent adoptions, as well as international adoptions involving an agency. Our attorneys have over 50 years of combined litigation and trial experience, and we are committed to helping parents achieve results that are in the best interest of their children.

Contact Our San Jose Adoption Lawyers

If you have any questions about adoption, please contact Lonich & Patton, LLP for a free initial consultation. Our attorneys can be reached by phone at (408) 553-0801 or through the intake form on our Contact Us page.