Skilled Lawyer for Tennessee Adoptions

Adoption is a legal process that protects children by giving those who are caring for them the full rights and responsibilities of parents under Tennessee law. At the Reno Law Firm, we regularly assist clients with stepparent adoptions, grandparent adoptions and other adoptions.

Contact us at our offices in Memphis to discuss your adoption goals. We serve clients in Shelby County and throughout the region.

Giving Legal Support to Children's Caretakers

Adoption grants to an adult all the legal rights and responsibilities that a natural parent would have for a child in his or her care. While adoption is used for a number of different purposes, the most common form involves an adult who already has some level of custody over the child. Common groups of people who seek adoption include the following:

• Stepparents
• Grandparents
• Legal guardians

It is not necessary to be related to a child in order to be successful with a petition for adoption. If a child's parents are unable to care for him or her due to death, abandonment, lack of fitness to be a parent, or some other reason, and if you have formed a bond with that child as a stepparent or caretaker, you are probably in a strong position for adoption.

Carefully Handling Termination of Parental Rights

When a child's natural parent or parents are still alive and still have parental rights under the law, those rights must be terminated before an adoption can take place. Often, the termination of parental rights goes uncontested, but sometimes, the parent or parents will try to claim that they still deserve those rights.

We are highly experienced at handling both contested and uncontested adoption cases. We focus on the child's interests by seeking all avenues to avoid public conflict. Contact us to discuss your adoption options as a stepparent, grandparent or other caretaker with experienced attorney Claire Reno.