Legal Question in Family Law in Texas

Re: adoption process

Your question is not complete, but I will attempt to answer it.

I assume that the man you are married to NOW wants to adopt your children and they are not biologically his children.

The first question is where is the biological father? If he paying child support for the children? When is the last time he saw the children? Will he sign the paperwork to terminate his parental rights? The answers to those questions will help determine how much a step-parent adoption costs. If he agrees, it is much cheaper. If he does not agree, then you must talk to an attorney to see if you have grounds to terminte his parental rights.

I have answered step-parent adoption questions before on lawguru.com. You might want to go back and review my old answers.

Basically, you have to termiante the biological father's rights and (in a separate lawsuit) then have a step-parent adoption.

You must do a background check by the police on the step-parent - costs under $50. You also need a social study done - under $100. There will be an attorney appointed to represent the minor children and you pay for that too - usually $1,000 and higher. You also pay for your attorney's fees.

If your children are Native Americans, then it is much more complicated.

If you live in the Houston area, please feel free to give me a call at 713-847-6000.

My deposit to begin a step-parent adoption is $900. Then you will make monthly payments to cover the rest of my costs.

Best of luck!