Step Child Adoption

Laws will vary by state. Talking with an attorney that specializes in this area in IL would be helpful.

If the child has a legal father, no matter if he has been involved or not, my understanding is that he would need to be found and then agree to ending his parental rights before an adoption could take place.

My ex husband adopted my boys about 8 years ago and we did have an attorney. At that time the fee was not really high I think it was around $1500 for everything. An attorney does helpo but I am sure you could probably google what to do and do it yourself. It went smooth, my oldest even changed his whole name. They do publish the fact that you are trying to adopt in a legal newspaper which I am sure the father will not be reading. The judge will ask the child how he/she feels about being adopted depending on the age of the child.

you may not need an attorny. check with your county. they may offer a service. i had to use a lawyer to terminate parental right, but was told i could have saved money by filing the adoption stuff myself. this is in az though. good luck

Hello,

I have been an adoption social worker for nearly 15 years. You will need an attorney, and I can tell you that the attorney I recommend to all of my families is Denise Patton who is located in Palatine, IL. She handles every kind of adoption including step-parent, and her fees are incredibly reasonable. She is also very easy to get in contact with, and she makes the process very simple. Her in formation is:

Denise J. Patton
Phone: 847/925-9072
Fax: 847/925-9074
4760 Fairfax Ave.
Palatine, IL 60067
Email: ____@____.com

Please feel free to call me if you have any questions. I work with ABC for Adoption in Bannockburn, IL. We services the entire Chicagoland area. You can reach me directly at ###-###-####.

Best,
J. Hetherington

My husband adopted my oldest son 2 years ago and I didn't use a lawyer. I paid about $150 for everything. The paperwork is not that complicated, it's just time consuming. But I still completed it just working a little each day for 3 or 4 days. The waiting process is what is the most difficult. It took nearly a year for the whole thing from start to finish.
I lived in FL then so I am not sure if the same would apply here but I just went to the courthouse and asked them to direct me to where I would get the paperwork. Once I was there I asked them a few questions I had. From that point the paperwork clearly states the instructions.
Good luck to you!