Adoption

Co-Parent Adoption for Same Sex Parents

Lesbian and gay parents protect their families in a variety of ways, often through co-parent adoption or step-parent adoption. As with other areas of LGBTQ family law, gay and lesbian households may face additional challenges.

At the law office of Jill M. Metz & Associates, our Illinois family law attorneys specialize in helping same sex couples work through the court system to secure their family's legal rights through adoption. We provide the compassionate and informed guidance you need to get through this exciting process.

Contact a gay and lesbian family law adoption attorney at Jill M. Metz & Associates for a free initial consultation. Let us explain how we can help your family through the adoption process.

The Adoption Process

The adoption process varies depending upon the type of adoption you are undertaking. Every adoption will include filing an adoption case with the court and one or more court appearances.

Your adoption lawyer from Jill M. Metz & Associates will file your adoption petition and all required paperwork for you and will appear with you at all court hearings. 

The Home Study: A home study, needed in some adoptions, sounds intimidating, but it needn't be. It is meant to ensure that your child is in a home where he or she will receive care and support. A social worker will visit with you to review your home. The social worker will not judge your personal taste; there is no need to prove you are Martha Stewart. The social worker will simply confirm that your home is heated, sanitary, and reasonably set up to accommodate a child. The social worker will file a report with the court.

Court Appearance: Once your adoption petition is filed, you will be asked to appear before the judge. Your adoption attorney from Jill M. Metz & Associates will accompany you to court. The judge will review the information in your adoption petition and will ask some simple questions. Our office will draw up an interim Order of Adoption so that you, the adopting parent, can be your child's legal parent while you wait for the judge's final Order to be issued.

Jill M. Metz & Associates will provide you with guidance through each step of the adoption process, insight into the possible questions the judge may ask, and answers to your questions and concerns. Contact our Chicago law office to schedule a free initial consultation and begin your journey through the adoption process.

To learn more about how our co-parent child adoption attorney can help you, please see:

• Co-Parent Adoption for Gay and Lesbian Families

Serving the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community and Friends in Chicago and Illinois

The law firm of Jill M. Metz & Associates, in Chicago, Illinois, represents family and business clients throughout Illinois, providing litigation services in Cook County, including Chicagoland communities such as Arlington Heights, Berwyn, Evanston, Glenview, Northbrook, Oak Brook, Oak Park, Orland Park, Palatine, Palos Hills, Park Ridge, Schaumburg, Skokie, Tinley Park, Wilmette.