Shorstein & Kelly - Board Certified Adoption Attorneys - The Florida Adoption Professionals
 
Grandparent/Family Adoption Services
Matching and Placement Services
Identified, Interstate, Stepparent, Grandparent & Family Adoption Services
Grandparent Adoption Services
As a grandparent or close relative of a child you desire to adopt, you may be considering adoption as a means to assume sole legal responsibility for the welfare of the child. Grandparent adoptions or close relative (“family”) adoptions is a legal means of allowing close family members to assume legal and financial responsibility of a child. Shorstein and Kelly have assisted hundreds of grandparents and relatives complete family adoptions in a timely manner.

  • FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION

  • AFFORDABLE FLAT FEES AVAILABLE

  • ACCEPT ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS

  • EXPEDITED COMPLETION PROCESS FOR STEPPARENT ADOPTIONS
    (Uncontested only)
Complexities Of Adoption
In Florida, there are four types of adoptions: the entity adoption (or agency or attorney facilitated adoption), the stepparent adoption, the close relative adoption and the adult adoption. While some rules apply to all adoptions, each type has unique procedures and requirements, which must be strictly adhered to in order for the adoption to be finalized by a judge.
For all adoptions, the Court must receive clear and convincing evidence to show that facts exist to terminate the parental rights of the biological parent(s). Such evidence would normally consist of a properly executed consent for adoption (or Irrevocable Affidavit of Non-Paternity) or evidence that the biological parent has been abandoned the child or otherwise failed to protect their parental rights under Florida law. There are many requirements that an unmarried biological father must meet in order to protect his rights.
If all of the requirements are not met in a timely manner, his ability to challenge the adoption is compromised. We have vast experience handling cases in which non-custodial biological parents have unsuccessfully attempted to challenge the adoption.
The time frame for completing an adoption differs for each type of adoption in Florida.
Complexities Of Adoption
In the case of an entity adoption (usually involving newborns), the adoptive parents are legally required to wait to finalize their adoption until at least 90 days after placement of the child in their home and 30 days after the judgment has been entered terminating the parental rights of the biological parents. The actual time frame for completing entity adoptions varies widely from three to twelve months depending on a variety of factors.
On the other hand, in stepparent adoptions, close relative adoptions, and adult adoptions, the adoptive parents are eligible to immediately finalize their adoption by filing a joint petition for termination of parental rights and adoption. Because no home-study is required for these types of adoptions, the Courts allow the adoptive parents to finalize the adoption as soon as the paperwork is complete.

Shorstein & Kelly Affiliations
American Academy of Adoption Attorneys

 

LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell

Both Michael A. Shorstein & Brian T. Kelly are Board Certified Adoption Attorneys and are active members of the Florida Adoption Council and the prestigious American Academy of Adoption Attorneys.
The AAAA is an association of attorneys, judges, and law professors in the United States and Canada who are dedicated to the highest standards of practice in the field of adoption law.
Membership is by invitation only from the Board of Trustees based on criteria for excellence in the practice of adoption.
They have achieved the highest possible rating (“AV”) from LexisNexis/Martindale-Hubbell, a national independent service that rates law firms throughout the country.
"Building Families & Dreams Through Adoption"
 
Shorstein & Kelly, "The Adoption Professionals" - Offering Services Statewide - Attorneys At Law, P.A.
 
Adoption Is An Option... A Loving Choice
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