Adoption & Surrogacy – Building Families one Child at a Time
If your hopes and dreams center on bringing a child into your life through adoption or surrogacy (assisted reproduction), the right attorney is essential to fulfilling them. As you begin considering your family-building options, you undoubtedly will have more questions than answers, and many important decisions to make. Choosing an experienced attorney will help you work through the myriad of legal issues surrounding adoption and surrogacy and fully prepare you for your journey to parenthood.
If you are an expectant mother who is overwhelmed and unsure of your options, we can help you make informed decisions. We believe strongly in honoring biological parents in the adoption journey; that starts with ensuring expectant mothers understand their legal rights and feel supported to make the adoption plan that is right for their child.
At Hinkle Law Firm, our professional team brings over two decades of experience to each unique family situation. If you have questions about adoption and starting the process we want to help. Visit adoption-kansas.com to learn more or to join our waiting list of hopeful adoptive families. Areas we can provide support:
Domestic Adoptions
- We handle infant adoptions from start to finish. Domestic adoptions are typically infant adoptions but can include older children. We handle agency adoptions as well as direct matches between adoptive families and the expectant mother.
- We understand the intricacies of adoption including the Indian Child Welfare Act, the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children, and the issues that can arise in this type of adoption.
- We are also versed in handling contested adoption matters. Although a contested adoption is a stressful time, we provide tough representation in the courtroom to best support our client’s case.
Step-parent/Family Adoption
- Step-parent adoptions can bring the weight of a hurtful past and the baggage that goes along with it. We have experience in sifting through the facts to focus on the end goal and ensuring the peace of mind that accompanies a step-parent adoption.
- Grandparents and other inter-family adoptions, private CINC matters, and Guardianships are other sensitive areas that are sometimes necessary to ensure the permanency that children need. We handle these family situations with a thoughtfulness learned through our years of supporting families through difficult situations.
Surrogacy
- Experienced counsel must protect Gestational Carriers and Intended Parents throughout collaborative reproduction. We excel in drafting Carrier Agreements that clearly outline the expectations and requirements of both parties. We also work to ensure that all of our clients have a Pre-Birth Order clearly outlining parentage to ensure the peace of mind of both Carriers and Intended Parents. We believe that Carrier Agreements should be just and equitable for both parties while still protecting our clients.
Contested Adoption
- While adoption can be a joyous event to celebrate, in some cases, the adoption may proceed despite objections from one of the biological parents.
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Our attorneys skillfully navigate the complexities and legal issues that may arise in contested adoption matters. Despite being a stressful time, we provide aggressive representation to protect the biological mother’s wishes and ensure the adoption can be finalized.
Foster Care Representation
- Our attorneys believe in the science behind Attachment Theory. We work tirelessly for foster families who have cared for foster children like their own. We believe foster families sometimes need to advocate for the best interest of the child they’re caring for, even when facing resistance from the system.
Kansas is a great place for family building
- Placing expectant mother may sign her consent twelve hours after birth.
Her consent is final upon signature. - The biological father may sign a final consent before the birth of the child.
- There is no minimum time period before finalization of an adoption.
- Pre-Birth Paternity Orders are issued for Gestational Carrier Agreements.
- Kansas law allows an expectant mother with an adoption plan to receive financial assistance during her pregnancy.
