Legal Question in Family Law in Indiana

14year old son never seen real father

I have a 14 year old son who has not seen his father sence he has been 6 weeks old and that was only a couple of times he has never been lied to about im and i started telling him about him when he was about 2 i have now been married for 14 years to his step father that he loves and looks at as a real dad. He wants to be adopted but we cant afford the thousands of dollars it would cost. So he was wanting to get a name change so he can have his step fathers name he wants to go to court but he dont want to if his real father could end up getting any rights to him. If you could help me in any way i would highly thank you.


Asked on 1/02/05, 3:21 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Mary Ann Wunder Wunder & Wunder

Re: 14year old son never seen real father

The court costs for a step-parent adoption are in the neighborhood of $300 to $400, depending upon whether you must publish notice to the father. I believe you can find an attorney for less than thousands of dollars. Call your bar association for a referral to an attorney for low income families if you qualify. You file a petition for a name change in your local Circuit Court and publish notice of the change and if the person whose name is being changed is a minor, both parents must consent.

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Answered on 1/03/05, 10:08 am


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