773-878-4480

Legally Recognized Relationships

Legally Recognized Relationships

Chicago Family Law Attorneys Serving the LGBTQ Community

Same-sex couples may bring children into their lives in a variety of different ways. In each instance, it is critical that couples protect their legal rights involving their family. To do so, the assistance of an experienced family law attorney is critically important.

At Metz & Jones LLC, we help our clients establish legally recognized relationships with their children to help ensure their parental rights. Our clients include:

  • Parents with rights through the Civil Union Act, Paternity Act or the Gestational Surrogacy Act
  • Adoptive parents
  • De facto parents

What Are Our Clients’ Needs?

Parents have a relationship with their children that is not always legally recognized. In order to ensure your relationship with your children is recognized by all agents in the law, it is important for a parent to finalize a legal relationship with his or her child. There are different ways to establish a legally recognized parent/child relationship, and each process has many steps. We offer experienced lawyers who can guide clients through the complex and often confusing process of adoption, surrogacy, paternity, and de facto parenting rights.

Additional matters that commonly affect our clients’ rights include:

  •  Civil Union Act: Parents who are in a civil union are likely on the child’s birth certificate, but still need to complete an adoption.
  •  Paternity Act: Some of our clients are related to a child by biology, but they need to go to court to create a legal relationship.
  •  Gestational Surrogacy Act: When a child is brought into the world through the help of a surrogate, the intended parents are listed on the birth certificate, not the biological parents. Couples that are adding to their family through a surrogate need to make sure they have complied with all the provisions of the act.

Contact Us

Learn more by speaking with one of our experienced family law attorneys. Our law office is located in Chicago, Illinois. For assistance, call 773-878-4480 or contact us by e-mail. We look forward to hearing from you.

Serving the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community, and Friends in Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois.