Mankato Adoption Attorney

Adoption can be an incredibly wonderful experience for prospective parents. The formal process of adoption transfers legal rights and responsibilities from biological parents to the adoptive parents, but this process can be complicated. At Knutson + Casey, our Mankato adoption attorneys are ready to step in and help you with your case. We know how important adoption can be for completing a family and giving a wonderful, loving home to a child in need. Contact us today to get started.

Why Choose Knutson + Casey?

When you were beginning the adoption process, you need an attorney by your side that has extensive experience handling these matters. Let Knutson + Casey stand by your side today.

• At Knutson + Casey, we take the time to get to know every client that we take on so we can understand your goals and tone our strategy to meet your needs.
• Every client is going to have personal contact with their Mankato family law attorney throughout their entire case. This is especially important when it comes to matters as personal as adoption cases.
• We thoroughly understand Minnesota adoption laws, putting us in the best position of any firm in Mankato to help your case.

Adoptive Parents’ Options

There are various options available to those who wish to adopt a child in Minnesota. This can include:

• Adopting at the local or interstate level
• Adopting a related child
• Having an adoption facilitated by a licensed agency or private placement agency
• Open adoptions where a birth parent and the adoptive parents know each other
• Closed adoptions where the birth parents and the adoptive parents do not know each other
• Adoption through surrogacy, gestational carrier, or in-vitro fertilization (IVF)
• Working with government assistance or subsidy programs available to individuals wishing to adopt (particularly helpful when a child is older or has special care needs)

Legal Complexities of Adoption

While adoption can be incredibly fulfilling, there are significant state and federal regulations that all adoptions must follow as well as related adoption proceedings. This can include adoptions that involve the:

• Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
• Indian Child Welfare Act
• Hague Convention

There is a significant amount of paperwork involved in any adoption, regardless of what option you choose. The adoption process will also include an in-depth home study and many interviews with social service agencies involved. This process can seem incredibly invasive and take some time, but it is done so to ensure that a child’s needs will be met at their new home.

It is necessary for a birth parent(s) to terminate their parental rights, which can be complicated. While this may not be a problem when working with adoption agencies, there are often roadblocks involved when adopting a related child or when a stepparent wants to adopt their stepchild.

Consult a Southern Minnesota Adoption Attorney

If you are considering going through the adoption process to grow your family, let us extend our congratulations. This is an incredibly exciting time in your life. However, the team at Knutson + Casey understands that this process can be complicated. Adoption is a life-changing event, and we want to help you make sure that the process is carried out correctly so that the adoption is sound and legal. To learn more about how you can adopt a child, you can contact us for a free consultation online or by calling (507) 344-8888.