Many Ohio residents like you have found ways to make their familial wishes into reality through legal processes, such as surrogacy and adoption. At Kroener Hale, we are happy to serve as a source of information on these typically complicated legal options.
One of the questions we often receive regards the duration of the adoption process. While the answer varies, we often see significant time elapse between initial action and finalization of the paperwork. You might be anxious at the prospect of waiting, but there are ways you might turn the situation to your advantage.
Viewing this probable delay as a planning stage might take the edge off of your waiting period. Specifically, you might want to identify things to do outside of legal filings or agency requirements. Consider any necessary financial preparations, home remodeling, school research and support system networking. Waiting is often the hardest part, but having an outline of what you need to accomplish pre-adoption might help fill the time and help you execute your plan.
One of the reasons for the delays that typify the adoption process is that any parent-child relationship you might attempt to establish legally is subject to specific rules. This is true regardless of the nature of the existing relationship you might have with the child. The court might require some documentation or investigation depending on your situation, whether you are a nonrelated adoptive parent, foster parent, grandparent, a parent by marriage or even, in certain cases, a biological parent.
Please visit our main page for more detailed educational material concerning adoption, paternity via Ohio’s Putative Father Registry, and surrogacy.
