Adoption
Legal Guidance for Growing Your Family
Guidance through agency, private, and relative adoption — including parental consent and termination issues and the court approval that completes the process.
Adoption is joyful and legally exacting at the same time. Both deserve respect.
The adoption path depends on where your family starts.
Agency adoption
Adopting through a licensed child-placing agency.
Private or independent adoption
Direct placements arranged outside an agency setting.
Relative adoption
Formalizing care already provided by stepparents and family members.
Parental consent and termination issues
The consents and, where necessary, terminations an adoption requires.
Court approval
The judicial review that makes the adoption final and permanent.
Common Questions
Questions we’re often asked.
That depends on your relationship to the child and how the placement is arranged. Agency, private, and relative adoptions each follow different requirements, which we can map out in a consultation.
Consent requirements depend on the child’s circumstances and the legal status of each parent. Where consent is unavailable or withheld, additional steps may be involved — Clay can explain what applies to your case.
Timelines vary with the type of adoption and the court’s process. We help you understand the realistic sequence for your situation rather than a one-size-fits-all estimate.
Related guidance may matter as the situation changes.
Virginia matters only.