Adoption

Helping Children Through Adoption

Under Texas law, it is preferable for children to have the active care and support of two parents. When a child's natural parents are not able to fulfill both parental roles, adoption may be a way to provide the child with those parental relationships.

I am Colleen A. Dunbar, and as a family law attorney devoted to the well-being of children, I am happy to help clients solidify their families through the process of adoption. Contact me to schedule a free half-hour consultation and learn how I can help you fulfill your adoption wishes.

Legal Recognition for Supportive Families

Adoption is a procedure where the rights and responsibilities that normally belong to a child's natural parent are transferred from that parent to someone else.

One of the most common forms of adoption is stepparent adoption. This option is typically pursued where only one of a child's parents is really involved in the child's life, and that parent's spouse acts as a second parent and wants to legally formalize that relationship. This can be done with the consent of the other birth parent or through a contested legal proceeding.

I have helped many families through the process of stepparent adoption and can help you understand how Texas legal standards apply to your individual circumstances.

I can also help same-sex partners and other nontraditional families pursue the Texas legal option of joint managing conservatorship (JMC). This process allows an individual who is not a child's legal parent to share in parenting rights and responsibilities such as educational and health care decisions.

Adoption allows a child to have a legal relationship with the people who actually care for and support that child. Contact me to work with a lawyer who is devoted to helping families adopt.