Summerville Adoption Attorneys

Stepparent, Grandparent, Foster Care & Direct-Placement Adoption in Charleston County & Berkeley County

Adoption is a legal process with real procedural stakes. Missed notices, improper service, or overlooked consent requirements can expose a finalized adoption to future challenge. Our adoption attorneys in Summerville handle the full process from initial consultation through family court finalization, guiding families through every step in Charleston County and Berkeley County.

We handle the complete range of adoption matters: stepparent, grandparent, relative, foster care, agency, and direct-placement adoptions. Whether biological parents are cooperative or parental rights must be contested, our attorneys know the SC family court procedures and adoption laws that govern how these cases move.

Why We Find Adoption Work Rewarding

Family law covers a wide range of matters. We handle divorces, custody disputes, alimony, and child support cases, and each of those comes with its own weight. Adoption proceedings are different.

It’s one of the few matters where everyone in the courtroom leaves with a good feeling: the child, the new parents, the judge, the attorneys, the clerk. The outcome is a family. Our background as former prosecutors gave us direct familiarity with SC court procedures and the standards courts apply, and that familiarity serves our adoption clients just as well as it serves clients in contested matters. With over 40 years of collective experience and a boutique firm structure, every adoption file we take on receives consistent, personal attention from the same attorneys throughout.

Cases We Handle

Clients turn to us when they want determined representation by attorneys who know the family courts, procedures, and adoption laws in SC.

Give us a call at (843) 891-6100 to schedule a consultation and find out how we can help.

Cases we handle include:

• Stepparent adoptions
• Grandparent adoptions
• Relative adoptions
• Foster care adoptions
• Adoptions through agencies (private and international)
• Direct-placement adoptions

Here’s what we do on your behalf:

• Meet with you to learn about your situation, identify your goals, and answer your questions
• Help you obtain a home study when required (direct-placement and agency adoptions generally require one; relative adoptions such as stepparent, grandparent, aunt, and uncle adoptions generally don’t in SC)
• Obtain consent from the biological parent or, when consent isn’t forthcoming, gather evidence and pursue termination of parental rights proceedings in family court
• Communicate with your adoption agency on your behalf
• File all paperwork and serve all required notices to reduce the risk of procedural challenges
• Follow through to finalization before the SC Family Court

In direct-placement adoptions, the birth mother and the adoptive parents may each need separate legal representation due to the potential for ethical conflicts. We can advise you on how representation should be structured from the start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Home Study Required for an Adoption in SC?

Home studies are required for foster care adoptions and adoptions through agencies, but they’re generally not required when a relative such as a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or stepparent adopts a child. For a detailed look at what the home study process involves, see the section below.

Do I Need a Lawyer to Adopt a Child?

SC law doesn’t require an attorney to adopt, but the risk of procedural error makes legal representation strongly advisable. Proper notice and service on all interested parties is a critical requirement: failure to serve all required parties can expose an adoption to future legal challenge even after finalization.

Other issues that can arise without experienced legal guidance include:

• Consent and relinquishment requirements under SC Code Section 63-9-310, including the requirement that children over age 14 consent to their own adoption
• Birth parents who change their minds before finalization
• Contested termination of parental rights proceedings when biological parents won’t consent
• SC’s reunification policy in foster care matters, which can affect timing
• Whether an open or closed adoption structure fits your situation

Can I Adopt as a Single Adult or as a Same-Sex Couple?

Single adults may adopt in SC. Being married isn’t a requirement, though you’ll still need an adoption plan and, depending on the type of adoption, a home study. Same-sex couples may also adopt in SC. Some religious-based adoption agencies may decline to work with same-sex couples. We help LGBTQ prospective parents navigate the process and can identify LGBTQ-friendly agencies when needed.

As a Grandparent, How Do I Adopt My Grandchild?

We understand that grandparents pursue adoption for a range of reasons, and we can guide you through each stage. Relative adoptions in SC typically don’t require a home study, but termination of parental rights is still required. That can be accomplished by consent or through contested proceedings in family court, depending on whether the biological parents cooperate. Kinship adoption provides the child with inheritance rights and legal stability that custody arrangements alone may not provide.

What Is the Difference Between Open & Closed Adoptions?

In a closed adoption, the court seals the proceedings and the adoptive parents aren’t given the identities of the birth parents. The child may have no record of who the birth parents were. Closed adoptions are less common than they once were, though international adoptions are frequently closed.

In an open adoption, the identities of the birth parents are known to the adoptive parents and the child, and the degree of ongoing contact is determined by the parties. A domestic adoption can fall anywhere on the spectrum. Some arrangements share health records or allow occasional contact without full openness.

What Types of Adoption Cases Do You Handle?

There are many different types of adoptions, including:

• Stepparent adoptions: Stepparents often adopt their spouse’s child when the biological parent is absent or unfit. Termination of the biological parent’s parental rights is required.
• Grandparent adoptions: When a parent is unfit, deceased, or unavailable, grandparents may seek adoption to provide the child with greater legal stability and inheritance rights.
• Relative adoptions: Aunts, uncles, and other relatives who have custody may choose adoption to formalize the relationship legally and help ensure the child can inherit.
• Foster care adoptions: Foster parents who wish to adopt must navigate SC’s reunification policy, which prioritizes returning children to biological parents before adoption can proceed. Biological parents may also challenge a foster care adoption, which can complicate the timeline.
• Adoptions through agencies: Private and international adoption agencies connect prospective parents with children who need homes. Agency adoptions typically require a completed home study.
• Direct-placement adoptions: Birth mothers and adoptive parents who connect without an agency may finalize their adoption through the family court with attorney assistance. Separate representation for each side is often advisable.

To discuss the details of your case, contact our adoption lawyers in Summerville at (843) 891-6100.