Adoption Can Change Your Family’s Future For The Better

Adoption is one of the best ways to solidify the relationship between you and a child you want to care for permanently. The process can be long and arduous, but the end reward is being able to welcome a new member into your family. If you are interested in adopting, an experienced family law attorney can be helpful in ensuring a smooth and seamless process.

At Reich, Jumbeck, Stole & Reeb, LLP, we have over five decades of combined experience helping clients with adoptions in Will County and Grundy County. Our full service staff of attorneys and paralegals delivers high-quality service and personalized attention to the cases of each client we serve. Our team is skilled, compassionate, and responsive; working closely with our clients to deliver practical solutions that address their needs and accomplish their goals.

We assist clients with a wide range of adoptions within Northern Illinois courts. As long as the adoption is filed in one of these two counties, our legal team can help.

Adoption Takes Many Forms

Adopting a child directly from the birth parents is generally done in one of two ways. If the birth parents and adoptive parents know each other and/or there is information exchanged between the two, it is considered an “open” adoption. If the birth parents and adoptive parents wish to remain anonymous to one another, the adoption is considered “closed.” Closed adoptions are typically done through an agency placement, while open adoptions are typically done privately. You may also choose to adopt from birth parents after providing foster care for a child.

If the parents of a child become deceased, incapacitated or otherwise unable to care for the child, a relative such as a grandparent, aunt or uncle may want to step in and permanently care for the child. Step-parents that want to establish a firmer bond with their step-child, and take on the accompanying legal responsibility, may also decide that adoption is their best option.

To qualify for an adoption in Illinois, the adoptive parent(s) must be at least 21 years old and undergo an extensive background check and home study to verify legal capacity to adopt. Depending on the circumstance, the process can take several months or longer to complete. Once the adoption is final, the child receives a new birth certificate and obtains the same legal rights to property and care as a natural child.

We Help You Take The Right Steps

At Reich, Jumbeck, Stole & Reeb, LLP, our attorneys can help you decide if adoption is right for you or if another route (such as guardianship) would be better. We put our experience to work to help our clients choose the best course of action for their particular circumstance. Contact us today at 815-770-2669 or use our email form to learn more. From our office in Joliet, our experienced family law attorneys serve clients in communities throughout Will County and Grundy County Illinois.