Montgomery County Adoption Attorneys

Experienced Trial Lawyers to Help You Unite Your Family in Conroe, the Woodlands, and Bentwater

Adoption is a very exciting prospect for any family. If you are looking to welcome a new member to your family, whether through private agency adoption or a stepchild adoption, our adoption lawyers at Steinmann Law Firm can help. We have decades of experience advocating for parents in trial, and we will help you navigate all the adoption laws and legal proceedings for completing an adoption. We will make the adoption process easy and seamless for you, as it should be when you and your family are entering an exciting new phase in life.

Schedule an initial consultation with Steinmann Law Firm today to get started on your adoption. Bilingual Spanish-speaking services available.

Who Can Adopt in Texas?

According to the Department of Family and Protective Services in Texas, single or married adults are eligible to adopt a child if they meet the following requirements:

• Are 21 years or older
• Are financially stable
• Are responsible and mature
• Share the necessary background information and lifestyle information
• Provide requested references
• Provide proof of marriage and/or divorce (if applicable)

Adoptions can be closed or open. An open adoption is when the birth parents and adoptive parents agree to keep in contact throughout the child’s life, such as through pictures, letters, email, phone calls, or in-person visits. Most agency adoptions will have the birth parents and adoptive parents sign a legally enforceable contact agreement that specifies the type and frequency of such contact. 

Termination of Parental Rights

One important step in some adoptions is the termination of parental rights. The law establishes that children may only have one set of legal parents, so adoption requires that the parental rights of the biological parent(s) who will not be parenting the child be terminated to make room for the new adoptive parent(s).

Termination of parental rights will be required in a stepparent adoption, as the parental rights of the biological parent who will no longer be the legal parent of the child moving forward should be terminated for the new adoptive stepparent.

A parent’s rights may be terminated either voluntarily or involuntarily. Voluntary termination can occur in a couple of different ways: 

• a parent can bring their own lawsuit to terminate their own parental rights;
• the parent can sign an affidavit of voluntary relinquishment, or an alleged father can sign an affidavit waiving interest, after which the court will approve the termination of their parental rights.

In the case of involuntary termination, the court must find by clear and convincing evidence that termination is in the best interests of the child and is supported by one of the following legal reasons:

• The parent abandoned the child or otherwise did not support them
• The parent committed a crime or engaged in criminal conduct
• The parent endangered the child
• The parent is otherwise unfit to care for their child