Tampa Family Adoption Attorney
Experienced Florida Lawyer Handling Stepparent and Relative Adoptions
The Law Office of Molly Gutcher provides experienced and caring guidance to grandparents, stepparents and other clients through the family adoption and guardianship process in Florida. Molly understands how difficult it can be to face a situation where a child is in need of care by someone other than the child’s natural parent. She is passionate about helping families achieve the legal outcome necessary to provide children with the opportunities they deserve.
Contact Molly’s Tampa law office today to schedule a free initial consultation.
Family Adoptions by Grandparent or Other Relative
Clients come to Molly in a number of different situations. Grandparents and extended family members are caring for a grandchild or niece when the biological parent is no longer in the picture. A relative is caring for the child on a temporary basis until the parent returns from overseas or until a neglectful parent gets his or her act together.
Molly listens intently to clients as they describe their situation and their goal. She works closely with them to determine if adoption is truly the goal (if the goal is something permanent) or if the circumstances warrant a temporary custody/guardianship proceeding instead (if the goal is more temporary).
Are you eligible to adopt a relative through the family adoption process? The court treats family and close-relative adoptions differently than most other adoptions. A home study is unnecessary when a child is being adopted by the grandparent, aunt or uncle, stepparent or other third-degree relative. However, if a family member is not closely enough related, the court will still require a home study through the traditional adoption process.
Florida Stepparent Adoption Lawyer
Molly offers experienced counsel through the legal aspects of stepparent adoption, including the termination of the uninvolved biological parent’s rights. Stepparent adoption can provide many legal benefits to a child when a parent is remarried. For example, the child acquires inheritance rights and the child is allowed to be included as a dependant under the stepparent’s health insurance coverage once the stepparent adoption has taken place.
Contested Stepparent or Relative Adoptions
Many times family adoptions are founded on agreement between the child’s biological parents and the relative petitioning for the adoption. In these cases, the process can be straightforward. However, if the stepparent adoption or relative adoption is contested, it is necessary to demonstrate abandonment of the child by the biological parent. Molly has the experience and know-how to present strong arguments to demonstrate how a parent has abandoned the child. Once the rights have been terminated by the court, the adoption process can proceed.
Free Consultations to Discuss Your Situation With Molly
Molly is an experienced Tampa family adoption lawyer who is dedicated to helping her clients. She offers a free initial consultation — either over the phone or in person — where she can absorb the situation, identify the objective and talk about the different ways to reach the ultimate goal, whether through adoption, under provisions of the guardianship statute, the juvenile court process (abuse or neglect cases) or the family law statute (temporary child custody). Learn more about Molly’s children’s law practice.
This initial consultation allows clients to understand what to expect in the process, potential costs and their options for moving forward without any obligation. In fact, many people come to Molly months or even a year later to move forward with the plan once they are physically, emotionally and financially ready.
Contact a Tampa Adoption Lawyer
Contact a Florida adoption lawyer who will always keep your best interests and those of the children involved foremost in her mind. Attorney Molly Gutcher promptly returns phone calls and e-mails and takes the time to establish strong, trusting attorney-client relationships.
To schedule a consultation with Molly about your Florida adoption or children’s law case, contact her Tampa, Florida, law office.
