Norristown PA Re-Adoption and Second Parent Adoption Attorney
Free Consultations for all second parent and re-adoptions matters
Willow Grove child adoption attorney David C. Berman and his support staff assist clients in some of the most complex adoption matters: international re-adoption and second parent adoption. From ensuring that same sex couples have legal rights over their children to giving internationally adopted children the security of a properly handled re-adoption, it is our goal to understand our clients' objectives and help them avoid legal problems.
If you have adopted a child internationally or are considering adopting a child with your partner, contact our law office to see how we can help.
International Adoption Cases and Re-Adoption
When children are adopted in a foreign country by a United States citizen, the children themselves become citizens once they land in the United States. Typically, this involves documents (including the foreign adoption decree and birth certificate) and requires applying for a certificate of citizenship or passport in the United States.
An international re-adoption is essentially a review of the foreign decree to ensure it conforms to the laws of Pennsylvania. If it does, then the state court will issue a decree that entitles the child to be eligible for a state birth certificate. The advantage of doing this is that it solidifies the adoption and brings as much finality as is legally possible. It also helps with logistics — if you need a birth certificate later in the child's life, you won't have to go to the country in which he or she was born to get it.
Second Parent Adoptions/LGBT Adoptions
Our firm also assists same sex couples with second parent adoptions. If your partner has a child or you and your partner would like to adopt a child together, we can help you go through the legal steps necessary to make your wishes a reality. In some cases, this means requiring the absent parent to relinquish his or her rights to the child (such as in stepparent adoptions) or documentation that one biological parent is an unknown sperm donor.
Re-adoption and second parent adoption lawyer David Berman not only helps families complete these legal processes, but as an adoptive parent he intimately understands the point of view of other adoptive parents.
Co-Parenting Agreements
We also help partners set up co-parent agreements when a second parent adoption is not possible. For example, if two women are expecting a child together, we can draft a coparenting agreement that evidences the intent of both women to be parents to the child. Coparenting agreements are especially important if the mom bearing the child dies in child birth or if the parents split up prior to the completion of a second parent adoption.
Let Us Help
If you need help with the second parent process and/or the re-adoption process, contact our office by phone at 215.540.5857 to find out how The Law Office of David C. Berman can help. We offer free consultations for all second parent and re-adoption matters.
