Does anyone know how I go about getting my husband to adopt my son (his step-son)? I'm not sure which kind of lawyer to talk to or exactly how to go about getting the process started.

As long as the real father wont contest it or will agree to it its not hard just takes time and alot of money. As long as its not contested Damon Smith is pretty cheap.If the real father contests or wont sign the paperwork then it wont go thru.

What if the biological father is not on the birth certificate but he signed a paternity affidavit? Do you still need his signature?

Setp Parent adoptions are NOT expensive at all. Call April Harris 760-5804 at the court house. She is the circuit clerk to the probate judge and she handles the adoptions. She can steer you in the right direction and she is super sweet.

If the birth father is not on the bitrh certificate you will have to do a publication in the paper for "unknown john doe" so that the biological father has the chance to come forward. The publication will list your name but not the child's name. It has to run once a week for 4 weeks and you have to give at least 30 days from the date of the last publication before you go to court to finalize the adoption.

Good luck

What about in Colbert County? And the bio father is on the birth certificate unfortunately so I'm not sure how that is going to work....he has also refused to sign over parental rights in the past...but I haven't talked to him in quite a few years

quote:

And the bio father is on the birth certificate unfortunately so I'm not sure how that is going to work....he has also refused to sign over parental rights in the past...but I haven't talked to him in quite a few years

Without him agreeing it won't ever happen but you can petition the court for involuntary termination if he has abandoned the child. I imagine the difference between voluntary termination (he signs papers) and involuntary is probably several months and probably 10-20k in legal expenses.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Phoenix Rising,

It can happen if he doesn't sign over rights. If you can prove that he hasn't been there and hasn't helped out in any way and you don't even know where he is, if can be done. You need to call the probate office in Colbert County or call April and she can tell you who to contact over there. All hope isn't lost yet until you contact someone.

Thank you everyone for the advice and information. It really helps to have a direction to go in now.