DuPage County Adoption Attorneys

Lawyers for Step-Parent Adoption, DCFS Adoption, and Private Adoption in Wheaton, Naperville, and Glen Ellyn

Adoption provides many benefits for parents, children, and other family members. It allows single parents or couples to expand their family and provide a loving home for a child in need, and it ensures that children can build and maintain permanent, positive relationships with adoptive parents, siblings, or other extended family members. Completing the adoption process can often be complicated, and a number of legal steps will need to be followed. To make sure everything proceeds as smoothly as possible, families should work with a skilled family law attorney.

The lawyers of McSwain Nagle Giese & Rapp, P.C. have more than 100 combined years of experience assisting families in a wide variety of legal situations. During the adoption process, we will answer your questions and explain the laws and procedures that apply to your situation. We will work to protect the rights and interests of everyone involved, and we will help make sure you have the resources you need as you welcome a new member to your family.

Types of Adoption

Adoption establishes a permanent legal relationship, and adoptive children will be treated the same as biological children born to parents in the eyes of the law. There are a variety of different situations in which one or both parents may adopt a child, including:

• Step-parent adoption - A person who gets married to someone who has one or more children from a previous marriage or relationship may wish to adopt their spouse's child and become the child's legal parent. This can solidify the relationship between a step-parent and step-child, and if the couple gets divorced, the step-parent will have the right to share in parental responsibilities and parenting time, as well as the obligation to provide child support. Before a step-child can be adopted, the other biological parent's parental rights must be terminated, either voluntarily or because a court determines that the parent is unfit.
• Same-sex parent adoption - Adoptions by same-sex couples can take a few different forms. In some cases, one partner will adopt the other partner's biological child, while in others, the couple will adopt a child together. We can help couples address the legal issues involved in these types of adoptions, including creating surrogacy or sperm or egg donation agreements that address the rights of the parents, the child, and other parties involved in the case.
• DCFS adoption - When children are in the foster care system operated by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, foster parents may wish to formally adopt a child in their care after DCFS has terminated the parental rights of the child's biological parents. We can assist parents in meeting the requirements to adopt a child through DCFS, and we can help families determine what types of support programs may be available to help them meet their child's needs.
• Private adoption - We can help parents complete their legal requirements when adopting a child through an adoption agency or through a private agreement with the child's biological parents, and we can also address whether the adoption will be open or closed. In an open adoption where a child will continue to have a relationship with one or both biological parents, we can create agreements that specify the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved. 
• International adoption - When adopting a child born in a foreign country, we can ensure that parents complete their requirements under the laws of the child's home country and the United States.

Contact Our Kane County Adoption Lawyers

No matter the circumstances surrounding your planned adoption, McSwain Nagle Giese & Rapp, P.C. can provide you with experienced and dedicated legal help to meet your needs. We will ensure that you understand your rights and requirements, and we will provide you with legal representation throughout every step of the adoption process. To learn more about how we can help, contact our office at 630-407-1200 and schedule a free consultation. We assist with family law matters in Winfield, Wheaton, Warrenville, Carol Stream, Naperville, Glen Ellyn, Glendale Heights, and throughout DuPage County, Kendall County, Cook County, Kane County, and Will County.