Adoption is a legal proceeding where a parent-child relationship is created between the adoptive parents and the person being adopted (the adoptee). An adoption commences with the filing of an adoption petition and the adopting petitioner must be at least 18 years of age, under no legal disability, and an Illinois resident for at least 6 months prior to filing the petition. A child to be adopted is a party to an adoption and is considered “available” for adoption if the child has been surrendered to an agency and the agency has consented or a person other than the child’s parents has been authorized by a court order to consent to such an adoption and the person has consented. In certain situations, someone over the age of 18 may be adopted. In addition, a child may also be considered available for adoption when there is no person whose consent is required to initiate the adoption process. Adoption is a very specialized field and our firm is skilled in navigating through the network of rules and regulations formulated by the State of Illinois, other states, other countries, federal authorities, and applicable case law.
If you have any questions, or would like more information on any of the issues mentioned, please contact our office at (847) 428-7725 or email
.
