Practice Areas

Adoption

Kidwell, South & Beasley

Twenty Years Trial Experience

Step Parent Adoption • International Adoption

The family law attorneys of the law offices of Kidwell, South & Beasley facilitate adoptions including international adoption (such as adoption of children from Guatemala, China, Korea, and Russia as well as others) and step parent adoptions. Individuals who have located a child and desire legal assistance regarding such topics as surrender and terminating parental rights of biological fathers are invited to contact us.

Kidwell, South & Beasley serves adoptive parents from throughout middle Tennessee and Rutherford County, including the cities of Murfreesboro and Nashville.

The majority of the prospective adoptive parents who consult with lawyers of Kidwell, South & Beasley are step parents or are interested in completing overseas adoptions. The law firm advises parents of foreign children of the advantages of procuring a Tennessee report of foreign birth that closely resembles a Tennessee birth certificate, to make future identity issues of adoptees easier to deal with.

Family law lawyers of Kidwell, South & Beasley are highly knowledgeable and experienced in all areas of family law, including divorce and adoption. We are prepared to advise on particulars such as the following:

• Has the biological father been properly notified of the pending adoption? Failure to terminate his rights may result in heartbreak down the road.
• Has the required 6-month waiting period passed -- or is this waiting period subject to waiver under the right circumstances?
• Will the child need to stay in a foster home until parental consent is finalized?
• Can full surrender in front of a judge be arranged? (We consider this to be the preferable method of surrender of a child to be adopted.)
• Is an adoption agency involved? Have all required requisites (such as a home study) been completed?
• Have special circumstances been fully accounted for? (For example, if the adoptee is an American Indian, has the tribe been properly notified?)
• If the birth mother and adoptive parents prefer an open adoption, do all parties understand that such an arrangement is not a legal obligation, even if it is a moral obligation when agreements have been made?

Discuss your Tennessee adoption hopes and plans with a knowledgeable adoption attorney. Contact Kidwell, South & Beasley through this Web site or by phone.