Nashville Adoption Attorney

Adoption can be a beautiful way to build a family, but it’s also a complicated legal process and it is crucial that the rights of all parties be respected throughout. This includes children of course, but also birth parents and intended parents as well.

At Burdine Law Firm, PLLC, our experienced Nashville family law attorneys have experience representing clients on all sides of the adoption process. Whether you’re placing your child, pursuing a private adoption, interested in international adoption, or exploring foster-to-adopt, we know the Tennessee laws and will guide you through every step of the process.

Call us today at (629) 529-4615 to learn more about how our adoption attorneys from Nashville can help you.

Adoption Laws in Nashville, Tennessee

Tennessee Code Title 36. Domestic Relations § 36-1-101 governs the rules for adoption. Both children and adults can be adopted in Tennessee, but there are certain guidelines that must be followed.

Specifically, as the statute states, the goal of adoption is always to ensure “the rights of children to be raised in loving homes that are capable of providing proper care for adopted children and that the best interests of children in the adoptive process are protected.”

While children are at the forefront of Tennesee’s adoption laws, the laws governing adoption also aim to:

  • Protect biological parents from making decisions about adoption as a result of undue fraud
  • Protect fathers and provide them with an opportunity to assert their parental rights so their children are not adopted without their knowledge or consent
  • Protect adoptive parents from assuming responsibility for the care of children without understanding their backgrounds and challenges
  • Ensure that children are only removed from the care of their parents or guardians when that’s the only alternative consistent with their best interests
  • Promote early and permanent adoption when it is in a child’s best interests

Many different rules are in place to achieve these goals, including stringent restrictions on when parental rights can be terminated, rules on who can advertise for adoption, regulations regarding the financial and emotional stability of adoptive parents, and waiting periods before birth parents can consent to the adoption of a child.

Adoption also has financial implications, so Tennessee regulates issues such as what expenses adoptive parents can and must pay for birth parents and how to determine whether adoptive parents have the financial stability to care for a child whom they are inviting into their home.

Getting Help from Nashville Adoption Lawyers

Adoption is too important a process to navigate alone. You need an experienced Nashville adoption lawyer on your side no matter what role you play within it.

At Burdine Law Firm, PLLC, some of our best moments involve helping people form new families through adoption. To find out more about how we can help you with your adoption, give our Nashville adoption attorneys a call at  (629) 529-4615 today to schedule your free consultation.