Second Parent Adoption
Co-Parent Adoption or Second Parent Adoption for Same-Sex Parents
Lesbian and gay parents protect their families in a variety of ways, often through a co-parent adoption or second parent adoption. As with other areas of LGBTQ family law, gay and lesbian households may face additional challenges.
Our Illinois family law attorneys specialize in helping same-sex couples work through the court system to secure their family’s legal rights through adoption. We provide the compassionate and informed guidance you need to get through this exciting process.
Contact a gay and lesbian family law adoption attorney at Metz & Jones LLC for an initial consultation. Let us explain how we can help your family through the adoption process. We proudly serve clients in Edgewater, Andersonville, Uptown, Lakeview and throughout the Greater Chicago area in Cook County.
The Adoption Process
The adoption process varies depending upon the type of adoption you are undertaking. Every adoption will include filing an adoption case with the court and one or more court appearances.
Your adoption lawyer from Metz & Jones LLC will file your adoption petition and all required paperwork for you, and will appear with you at all court hearings.
Common elements of a second parent adoption include:
- Surrogacy, gestational and insemination agreements: If you are using a sperm, egg or uterine donor, known or anonymous, we can assist you in drawing up or reviewing the contract between you and the donor or donor agency. We can also provide a parenting agreement for you and your partner for medical institutions that require them prior to the use of assisted reproductive technology.
- The home study: A home study, needed in some adoptions, sounds intimidating, but it needn’t be. It is meant to ensure that your child is in a home where he or she will receive care and support. A social worker will visit with you to review your home. The social worker will not judge your personal taste. The social worker will simply confirm that your home is heated, sanitary and reasonably set up to accommodate a child. The social worker will file a report with the court.
- Court appearance: Once your adoption petition is filed, you will be asked to appear before the judge. Your adoption attorney from Metz & Jones LLC will accompany you to court. The judge will review the information in your adoption petition and will ask some simple questions. Our office will draw up an interim Order of Adoption so that you, the adopting parent, can be your child’s legal parent while you wait for the judge’s final order to be issued.
Contact Us
Metz & Jones LLC will provide you with guidance through each step of the adoption process, insight into the possible questions the judge may ask, and answers to your questions and concerns. Contact an adoption attorney in our law office online or by calling 773-878-4480 to schedule an initial consultation and begin your journey through the adoption process.
Serving the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community and Friends in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois.