Legal Question in Family Law in California

Hi. We are going to be adopting my husband's little sister's baby. (my sister in law's baby). We didnt want to use an agency or get a lawyer if we dont need to. We live in Colorado and she lives in California. The baby will be born in California, in September; then we will bring baby home to Colorado. What forms/paperwork needs to be done? Do we have to have a lawyer or can we just do the paperwork and file it with the courts?


Asked on 1/25/11, 7:25 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

It just so happens that I personally adopted a child across state lines. It is not terribly complicated, but it is not simple either. I strongly recommend that you work with an attorney. We had an additional complication in that the baby was in the custody of Oregon Child Protective Services. So we had to deal with both states. If you don't have any such complications that would require California jurisdiction, and you have the birth mother's written consent, you can probably have the entire process handled in Colorado. Since you have time, I strongly recommend that you interview several Colorado adoption attorneys and select one you like and who can do the work for a reasonable price. If the person you select finds they need assistance in California, have them give me a call. I would be happy to help at steeply discounted rates for a good cause like an adoption.

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Answered on 1/28/11, 11:47 am


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