The California Legislature has taken care to streamline the Adoption Process for the unique needs of same sex couples where frequently one parent is not the biological parent of the child. Before the amendment of the law a stepparent where one parent came into a child’s life later, versus a “stepparent” who was on the birth certificate (as is typical for same sex couples) were treated at law the same. This meant that if a gay or lesbian couple had a child together, and were both on a child’s birth certificate, the court was legally required to conduct a home investigation and hold a formal hearing for the adoption.
Now, fortunately, California has streamlined the entire process so that an investigation and formal hearing are not necessarily required for confirmations of parentage. This is good news for LGBT couples! With the change of leadership in the White House queer couples are well served to make sure that they have lined up as many legal protections establishing that they are the lawful parents of their children.
While not every adoption case can be done without an investigation or court hearing, the attorneys at Jones & Devoy can help you tee up your case to maximize your chances of a smooth process.
