Assertive Concord Attorney Fights for the Rights of Clients to Adopt

North Carolina lawyer determined to help families achieve their goals

Adopting a child brings happiness to families, but a biological parent’s change of heart or an immigration setback can turn a joyous occasion into a stressful ordeal. At Law Office of Amy F. Zacharias, in Concord, I have over 30 years of experience navigating the complex legal procedures and frustrating red tape of the adoption process to help my clients throughout Cabarrus County realize their dreams. You can rely on my commitment to guiding you through the legal process with skill and determination so you can focus on your new family member.

At Law Office of Amy F. Zacharias, I help clients with the following areas of adoption:

• Termination of parental rights
• Paternity registry and name changes
• Private adoptions
• Domestic adoptions
• Step-parent adoptions

Termination of parental rights

Stories abound about birth parents challenging an adoption after it is finalized. These well-publicized news accounts reflect a real fear for adoptive parents. The suffering associated with a badly-handled adoption affects everybody involved — the adoptive parents, the birth parents and the children who are caught in the middle. At Law Office of Amy F. Zacharias, I ensure that both the birth and adoptive parents’ rights are respected so that the result is a final adoption that cannot be challenged. I substantiate that the birth parents’ consent to the adoption was given freely and voluntarily to avoid claims of fraud, duress and coercion that can be grounds for restoring a birth parent’s rights.

Handling the paternity registry

The biological father has the same rights as the biological mother in deciding whether to voluntarily terminate parental rights. North Carolina laws seek to balance the father’s rights with the well-being of the child through a paternity registry. The process prevents the unsettling disruption of a child’s life caused by a father’s parental claims after the adoption’s finalization. A man who knows or believes he is the father of a child can apply to the putative father registry to receive notices of judicial proceedings related to the child, including those associated with the adoption process. At Law Office of Amy F. Zacharias, I take all necessary steps to confirm that the father provides consent or that no father is registered with the database.

Strong counsel for all types of adoption

An open adoption agreement permits the biological family to maintain a relationship with the child. The terms of the agreement are established by written contract and can include any level of involvement ranging from regular visits to yearly snapshots exchanged by mail. A closed adoption protects the identity of the biological parents and the child, but may include disclosure of essential information such as the child’s heritage and medical history. Whichever type of adoption you choose, I meticulously draft a contract that reflects the terms of your adoption.

Contact a tenacious North Carolina adoption attorney

At Law Office of Amy F. Zacharias, in Concord, North Carolina, I fight for the rights of my clients in Cabarrus County to add to their families through adoption. Call 704-784-3311 or contact me online to schedule a consultation at my office.