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Tennessee Adoption Questions & Answers
1 Answer | Asked in Family Law, Adoption and Child Custody for Tennessee on
Q: How do I go about getting started with signing rights of my child once it's born over to the father?
Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Feb 13, 2018

You should consult an attorney. If you decide that you want the baby to be raised by the father, then the father can still seek child support from you. He will need to petition the court for custody if you are not married.

1 Answer | Asked in Adoption and Family Law for Tennessee on
Q: Same sex couple, my gf has a 7 month old whom I’ve been with since birth. Can I adopt him?

The father has never met the baby nor wants him. She became pregnant on a break we took. We’ve been together 3 years

Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Jan 30, 2018

You will need to terminate the father's rights or have him voluntarily surrender them. Then, if you are married, you can do a step-parent adoption. You should consult an attorney to help you to make sure this is done the right way.

1 Answer | Asked in Adoption for Tennessee on
Q: If you have child that draws child benefits because you draw but the child gets adopter does he still get to drew

He got adopted by someone does he still get to draw benefits in my name I still have one child at home that draws child benefits because I draw disability

Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Jan 29, 2018

You should contact the social security administration. They will be able to tell you.

1 Answer | Asked in Adoption, Child Custody and Family Law for Tennessee on
Q: I need to terminate rights of a father who hasn't seen,his kids in 7 yrs and $30,000 behind child support. Help me plz

He hasn't seen them or spoke to them in 7 years. They are 12 & 13. And tbey both want my last name. I am married again been with him for 10 years. We have a son. He doesn't pay support and he is $30,000 behind. He refuses to pay. Has never been given or even asked for visitAtion.... View More

Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Jan 26, 2018

You should contact an attorney to discuss doing a step-parent adoption. They are very common. Based on these facts, it appears you have grounds to terminate the father's parental rights or he may agree to the adoption.

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law, Adoption, Child Custody and Child Support for Tennessee on
Q: Termination of parental rights

Hello, I have a question about terminating parental rights. About 2 years ago I got a divorce in Shelby county. We had a parenting plan and all, well the ex husband has completely abandoned our child. I've remarried and have another child in my home. The dad has bluntly said he won't help... View More

Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Jan 24, 2018

It sounds like you have grounds to terminate the rights of the father. Step-parent adoptions are very common. You should consult an attorney to help you do the process. It sounds like the father may even want to voluntarily surrender his rights. Best of luck!

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law and Adoption for Tennessee on
Q: a friend of mine is pregnant and has decided she doesn’t want any the baby , the daddy doesn’t want anything to do with

them she has told me she would let me adopt or do whatever i had to do in order to take this baby from her ...what do i need to do ?

Leonard Robert Grefseng
Leonard Robert Grefseng
answered on Jan 24, 2018

This is NOT something you can do on your own, you really need to consult an experienced adoption lawyer immediately. BOTH the mothers' and the fathers' parental rights will have to be terminated, and that can be done voluntarily ( assuming they will cooperate and sign) or it can be done... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Adoption for Tennessee on
Q: I have had full custody of two children since October 2010. How do I finally fully adopt?

No contact from parents in like a year both parents are in jail on drug charges

Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Jan 24, 2018

It certainly sounds like you have grounds to terminate the parents' rights. You should contact an adoption attorney. They will be able to help you through the process. Best of luck!

1 Answer | Asked in Adoption, Family Law and Juvenile Law for Tennessee on
Q: I am 16 and being beaten by my adopted parents and dcs is looking into it, is it illegal for me to run away?

They are threatening to beat me if I tell dcs the truth and they said they will beat the shot ou of me when they leave. I was wondering if I could runaway to my godmothers house.

Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Jan 21, 2018

You cannot run away. You should tell DCS the truth. You should also tell DCS about your desire to run away. This may get them to get you some help.

1 Answer | Asked in Adoption for Tennessee on
Q: Does your attorney leagally have to keep in touch with you with updates on your case once you have retained them?

We retained an attorney in July, so that my now husband could adopt my son. She has since been unavailable. She does not return calls or emails for days or weeks at a time. She has also told us we have had two separate court dates, but when we called the court to see if we are on the docket (bc she... View More

Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Jan 11, 2018

You can contact the Board of Professional Responsibility. They have a consumer complaint resolution process to help legal consumers. Best of luck!

1 Answer | Asked in Adoption and Child Custody for Tennessee on
Q: My cousin lost her rights to her babies and they are now in foster care. How can I get custody?

My problem is I don’t live in TN and I was told they had to stay in TN. I will uproot my life today and move down there but I’m not sure about the laws on what I would have to do to get custody. Please help me

Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Dec 28, 2017

You may not need to move to TN, but that would be the fastest way to get the children out of foster care. You need to consult an attorney familiar with the foster care system. One who knows the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Juveniles. That attorney can petition the court to try and get... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Adoption, Child Custody and Family Law for Tennessee on
Q: If I have rights - guardianship over a child can I on down the road file for adoption In TN ???

I previously had rights , the biological grandmother has the child but wants us to adopt him , but can I get wrights for now then adopt him ! Or is it true you can’t adopt after having wrights ???

Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Dec 21, 2017

I am not sure what you mean by "rights". If you mean custody, then you would have to obtain custody of the child in order to adopt. If you mean guardianship rights, it gets more complicated. Either way, you should contact an experienced attorney to help you.

1 Answer | Asked in Adoption for Tennessee on
Q: If the biological mom gives up all her rights to her son in court, does the step mom HAVE to adopt the boy?

This is a TN case. My daughter has been told she has to adopt her step son.

Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Dec 21, 2017

No, it is completely up to her if she wishes to adopt. The biological mother can surrender her rights to the child, but will still be obligated to pay child support until or unless the child is adopted.

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law, Adoption and Child Custody for Tennessee on
Q: Child's father has had no contact in two years, can we move from Tennessee to Florida ?

He is on the birth certificate, we were never married, and have never been to court. My fiance (I have a child with) wants to adopt her , but we have both been offered great career opportunities in Florida near family and my step baby. We could finally afford to start the court process once there... View More

Marjorie A Bristol
Marjorie A Bristol
answered on Dec 21, 2017

If you have never been to court and the father has no visitation rights, then you are the sole custodian of the child and do not have to notify him under the parental relocation statute. Once you are in FL, you will need to be there for 6 months before you can begin adoption proceedings. Best of... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Family Law and Adoption for Tennessee on
Q: My uncle wants to adopt my son & be his dad and my son's father ISNT on the birth certificate and hasn't been there none

What do i do to go about letting my uncle adopt him?

Leonard Robert Grefseng
Leonard Robert Grefseng
answered on Dec 18, 2017

Your question is very broad- it sounds like you think that since there is no father listed on the birth certificate, that you can proceed with the adoption without notifying the biological father. This is WRONG. If the family member wants to adopt the child, the parental rights of the biological... View More

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2 Answers | Asked in Adoption, Family Law and Child Custody for Tennessee on
Q: My daughter was adopted by my dad who is deceased and my stepmom about 9 yrs ago. Now my stepmom wants us to have her

If we signed our rights away for the adoption, how do we go about getting custody of her again?

Leonard Robert Grefseng
Leonard Robert Grefseng
answered on Dec 11, 2017

You must adopt the child. Your parental rights were terminated in the first adoption, so strictly speaking, the law says you are not related to the child now. Adoption creates the lega lrelationship of parent and child.

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2 Answers | Asked in Family Law, Adoption, Child Custody and Juvenile Law for Tennessee on
Q: I'm 18 can my 17yr old gf come live with me if something happened to the parent she lives with / can I file to have her

I'm 18 and my gf will be 17 in 3 months in the event that her she lost her mother does she have the choice to come live with me I have a home and stable job and if not can I petition the court for her to come live with me ?

Leonard Robert Grefseng
Leonard Robert Grefseng
answered on Nov 28, 2017

Probably not, I doubt that any judge would let a minor ( anyone under age 18) reside with an 18 year old ( a very young adult) who is not related to the minor. I suspect your girlfriend has some distant family somewhere that would accept her and the courts will favor family over an unrelated... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Adoption and Family Law for Tennessee on
Q: My 3 yr old was born in TN. When she was 2, her and the mother visited AZ and an incident occurred to where she was

taken by cps. Me and the mother have been back in TN since this began but my daughter is still in Arizona in cps custody. Can you tell me which state has jurisdiction

Leonard Robert Grefseng
Leonard Robert Grefseng
answered on Oct 18, 2017

Arizona has jurisdiction and probably will retain jurisdiction until you can convince the Judge there that you have fixed/corrected whatever it was that occurred which caused the child to go into State custody. You should consult an experienced family law attorney in Arizona asap.

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law and Adoption for Tennessee on
Q: My husband has a son from and ex . His son is 11 years old and he's never been able to have an established relationship

He's never been able to have a established relationship because his son's mom moved out of state when his son was 3 and they just moved back. ( however he has paid child support for the last 9 years) anyways the guy she is with (has been with for 9 years) wants to adopt his son. We... View More

Leonard Robert Grefseng
Leonard Robert Grefseng
answered on Oct 10, 2017

Under Tennessee law, it is legal for a single person to adopt a child. In other words, it is not required that the father be married to the mother.

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law, Adoption, Child Custody and Juvenile Law for Tennessee on
Q: I have had my son since I cut his cord. The birth mother ask me to take him and she wanted to sign her rights away

She does not know who the father was and has not seen my son in 19 months has let his state insurance end and been in and out of rehab. I am in the state of Tennessee how can I get emergency termination of parental rights and be granted soul custody of him so I can get his insurance and catch up... View More

Leonard Robert Grefseng
Leonard Robert Grefseng
answered on Sep 7, 2017

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer and this is a terrible situation for you. My best advice is to consult an experienced adoption attorney immediately. if you have not already done so, you should start looking foe the biological mother ( you will want to find her so she can either sign papers... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Adoption, Child Custody and Family Law for Tennessee on
Q: State TN. husb had affair. female is pregnant. wants to give the baby to him. sign her rights away. Legal?

She doesn't want baby at all. it's her 4th. Doesn't want to see it or touch it. She wants to have him sign BC at birth, then term her parental rights, then he and I will raise child with our own children. We think that then i guess we could do a step parent adoption?? So id be... View More

Leonard Robert Grefseng
Leonard Robert Grefseng
answered on Sep 7, 2017

It is certainly possible for a parent to surrender their child for an adoption, and the adoption will terminate her parental rights. Do NOT try to accomplish all of this without an attorney. Its too complicated and sometimes a person will change their mind just before signing the paperwork. Consult... View More

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