Q: How to legally adopt a stepchild in the state of Missouri??
I got pregnant at 16 with my oldest son. His bio father was high on drugs and refused to be in his life and isn’t on the birth certificate. He’s been an in and out father until he was 22 months. He will be 8 in September and his sperm donor is trying to come back in his life but barely. My sons dad (man who’s raised him) has been talking about adoption since he was 4 or 5 how do we go about this and what rights does he have.
A: You will need to contact an attorney that handles step-parent adoptions. You will have to file a petition in the county where you live, a guardian ad litem may be appointed and a home study may be necessary in order for the Court to grant your petition for step-parent adoption. You and your son's father will need to have been married for six months or more. Adoptions are a complicated area of law. Best to reach out to an attorney for a consultation to speak about the specifics of your case in the county where you reside.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
