Taking the Right Steps to Adopt Your Child In order to adopt your child, both of his or her biological parents must relinquish their parental rights. In some cases, you will need to ask the parent to voluntary relinquish his or her rights. In other cases, you will be able to move forward without the […]
Archive | Adoption Law
Difference between "abandonment" and "failure to communicate" under Indiana Code § 31-19-9-8
Indiana adoption law starts from the premise that in order for a child to be adopted, the child’s mother and the child’s legal father1 must consent to the adoption. Certain actions or non-actions by a mother or legal father may vitiate the need for the parent to consent to the adoption. Indiana Code § 31-19-9-8 […]
August 26, 2015 – ICLEF – Handling a Contested Adoption Case
INDIANAPOLIS – Today, Steven M. Kirsh, adoption attorney at Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., chaired the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum’s presentation on Handling a Contested Adoption Case. Steve was able to get together four of the finest contested adoption litigators in the country to present on various aspects of contested adoptions. These attorneys included: – […]
February 10, 2015 – New Jersey Senate Passes Bill Expanding Definition of Surrogate Parenting
TRENTON – The New Jersey state senate passed a bill on February 5th that would allow intended parents to enter into an agreement with a “gestational carrier” to bear their child. A gestational carrier is a woman who has no genetic relation to the child she carries. This is different from a traditional surrogate who […]
Adoption Legislation – Senate Bill 27 (Indiana 2014 Legislative Session)
By: Steven M. Kirsh The Indiana General Assembly passed Senate Bill 27 during the 2014 Legislative Session. Governor Pence signed the bill into law. SB 27 makes improvements to Indiana’s already very good adoption laws. In fact, other states have modeled some of their adoption laws after those of Indiana. Here is what SB 27 […]
Adoptions In Lake County, Indiana
Written By: Steven Kirsh, Adoption Attorney On March 12, 2014, the Indiana Court of Appeals decided the case of In Re the Adoption of J.T.D. & J.S., 45A03-1308-AD-310 (Ind.App 2014) and held that the Juvenile Court of Lake County did not have jurisdiction to grant an adoption — only the Superior Courts in the Civil […]
Is it Unfair to Require an Unnamed Father to Register with a Putative Father Registry prior to the Birth of the Child?
A “putative father” is a man whose legal relationship to a child has not been established (for example — not the husband of the mother), but claims, or is alleged, to be the father to a child. The Indiana Putative Father Registry was created to protect putative fathers’ parental rights. By registering with the Indiana […]
Adoption Tax Credits
Congress passed the adoption tax credit as part of the George W. Bush tax cuts. The adoption tax credit was extended to December 31, 2011, and then extended again to December 31, 2012. It is due to expire on December 31, 2012, unless it is again extended by Congress. The two leading adoption organizations in […]
Explanation of Indiana Code 35-46-1-22- Indiana's Anti-facilitator Law
The referenced code provision makes it illegal for any person or agency other than an adoption agency in Indiana or an attorney licensed to practice law in Indiana to provide “adoption services” in Indiana. This law has no impact whatsoever on inter-country adoptions. Prior to the recent amendment to I.C. § 35-46-1-22, it was illegal […]
