Dallas Adoption
Dallas Adoption Attorney
We help Dallas families navigate the legal steps to make an adoption permanent and secure.
Overview
Dallas Adoption Attorney Serving Dallas County
Texas Family Code §162.001 governs who may adopt and requires termination of the biological parent’s rights (by consent or court order) before an adoption can be finalized.
Our Dallas adoption team represents clients across Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, and Kaufman Counties, bringing plain-language guidance to a process that can otherwise feel overwhelming.
Key Facts
- A Texas adoption generally requires a post-placement social study and a criminal background check on the prospective adoptive parents before the court will finalize the adoption.
- Step-parent adoptions in Texas typically move faster when the non-custodial biological parent voluntarily signs an affidavit of relinquishment.
- Once finalized, a Texas adoption decree gives the adoptive parent the same legal rights and obligations as a biological parent, and the child inherits accordingly.
How It Works
How Our Adoption Process Works
Confirm Eligibility
We review the family situation and identify whether consent, relinquishment, or a termination proceeding is required first.
Home & Background Study
We coordinate the required post-placement social study and paperwork with the Dallas County court.
Finalization Hearing
We represent your family at the final adoption hearing before a Dallas County family court judge.
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Firm Founded
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Legal Professionals
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DFW-Area Counties Served
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Texas Office Locations
Answers, Directly
Adoption FAQ
Will my adopted child's birth certificate change?
Yes. Once a Texas adoption is finalized, the Texas Department of State Health Services issues a new birth certificate listing the adoptive parent(s), and the original is sealed.
This new birth certificate functions exactly like an original for school enrollment, passports, and other legal purposes.
Does the biological parent have to agree to the adoption?
Not always. If a biological parent’s rights are voluntarily relinquished, or a Dallas County court terminates those rights based on grounds such as abandonment, the adoption can proceed without that parent’s ongoing consent.
Involuntary termination requires clear and convincing evidence under Family Code Chapter 161, so these cases require careful preparation of the record.
How long does a step-parent adoption take in Dallas County?
An uncontested step-parent adoption with the other biological parent’s consent can sometimes finalize in as little as 2–4 months, once the required waiting periods and social study are complete.
Cases where the other parent objects, cannot be located, or has parental rights that must be terminated through the court take considerably longer.