There are two basic kinds of adoptions that a Washington State adoption lawyer can help you with.  The first kind is the more traditional kind, where a couple or an individual seek to adopt a child through an agency.  All Washington State adoption lawyers know the joy for parents and child when this kind of adoption works out well.  The second kind of adoption involves private parties seeking to change existing parenting rights; for example, when a step parent wishes to adopt a spouse’s children from a prior relationship.  The circumstances involved in either kind of adoption can be quite complex as all adoptions involve legally fundamental parenting rights.  You should consider consulting an experienced Washington State adoption attorney who can answer questions about your particular adoption case.

Prior to any adoption taking place, as Washington State adoption lawyers can explain to you, termination of the birth parents’ parental rights and adoption by new parents are two separate processes.  Because every person’s right to parent his or her children is a constitutionally fundamental right, involuntarily terminating a parent’s rights can be a very difficult process.  Of course in many cases, parents voluntarily relinquish their parental rights to make way for their child’s adoption in that child’s best interest.  However, because even voluntarily relinquishing a parent’s rights involves a detailed legal process with long lasting consequences, anyone considering adoption should first consider consulting a Washington State adoption lawyer.