Whether you are interested in adopting a child through an agency or adopting a child through private parties, consultation with Seattle adoption attorneys may be a good idea.  Most people don’t realize it, but adoption involves some of the most legally protected fundamental rights in our legal system.  A Seattle adoption attorney will routinely litigate parents’ rights to parent their children, which has long been held by the U.S. Supreme Court as a fundamental right.  Whether a lawsuit concerns a parent fighting to maintain his parenting rights or an adoptive couple seeking to provide a home to a child without parents, Seattle adoption lawyers must have a clear, thorough knowledge of parental rights and Seattle adoption law to practice in this demanding field.

Adoptions in Seattle are governed by Washington State family law.  Because all law in this country must be constitutional in order to be legal, a Seattle adoption attorney will also look to case law from the U.S. Supreme Court for guidance.  Moreover, because that case law has declared parenting to be a fundamental right, government lawmakers must only be able to infringe on that right under very specific and justifiable circumstances. 

How does this relate to what Seattle adoption attorneys do when they help a couple adopt a child through an agency?  One answer is that before any adoption can take place, the child’s parents must either have their parenting rights terminated or relinquished, both of which require court involvement. A Seattle adoption lawyer will appear on behalf of persons involved in such lawsuits, either gaining or saving parental rights.  Furthermore, there are many cases in which a child’s parents agree that a change might be in the child’s best interest.  Because there are several ways to resolve family issues, a consultation with competent Seattle adoption attorneys may help clarify your options.