In an adoption case, extremely important rights and responsibilities are being determined. The parental rights of the birth parents are being terminated....
In an unpublished decision recently rendered by the Court of Appeals of Virginia, Virginia’s standards of proof in contested adoption cases was again addressed.In...
The attorney with the greatest responsibility is the attorney retained by the adoptive parents. He or she will be the person who moves the case forward from...
Virginia does not require that an attorney be retained to represent the birth parents. It is not unusual for a parental placement adoption to proceed without...
The law requires that an attorney be appointed by the court to serve as guardian ad litem for the child. This attorney’s job is to investigate and report...
If a child is being placed across state lines, then another attorney will be necessary. All fifty states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Interstate...
The law requires that a Home Study investigation of the prospective adoptive home be made by a licensed child placing agency. This report will be filed with...
There are many excellent child placing agencies in Virginia which you may contract with to prepare the Home Study. It will make a difference, however, which...
The agency you select to prepare the Home Study will be primarily concerned about complying with requirements from both the Code of Virginia and regulations issued...
There is good news for families pursuing adoption. The final version of the tax reform bill before Congress has preserved the adoption tax credit!Also, the...
The terms “attachment” and “bonding” are often confused. Attachment refers to a child’s emotional connection to caregivers....
The Constitutional Rights of Birth Parents are extremely important. Parental Rights are recognized as fundamental rights under the Due Process Clause of the...
