San Antonio Closed Adoption Attorneys

If you are considering a closed adoption, contact Higdon, Hardy & Zuflacht, L.L.P. for legal assistance. Before you welcome a child into your home via closed adoption, you must navigate lengthy meetings, legal paperwork, and adoption fees. To avoid inconsistencies and small mistakes that may endanger your ability to adopt, call Higdon, Hardy & Zuflacht, L.L.P. today at (210) 349-9933. Our San Antonio closed adoption lawyers will work hard to ensure that your adoption process is handled efficiently, professionally, and competently.

Why Do I Need a Lawyer?

All adoption processes involve a great deal of paperwork, which may present several stumbling blocks on the way to adopting your child. There are also many choices to make during the process, including the important decision of what type of adoption you will pursue. Your options include: closed, open, international, independent, and adoption through an agency.

The question of which type of adoption to pursue, and many others, may arise in the legal process. Experienced legal advisers can guide you in this process, greatly reducing the possibility of any slip-ups or inconsistencies in drafting documents. With a lawyer’s help, you can ensure that your adoption goes smoothly and your child is brought home as quickly as possible.

Why Higdon, Hardy & Zuflacht, L.L.P.?

Every attorney at Higdon, Hardy & Zuflacht, L.L.P. is board certified in family law. This distinction is earned by less than one percent of lawyers in the state of Texas. To be board certified, each lawyer of our firm has taken on further education and Bar Association evaluation. It is paramount to hire a personal legal representative that will give you the attention you deserve and the expertise you need. The attorneys at Higdon, Hardy & Zuflacht, L.L.P. understand that your family is your priority. The process of growing your family should be smooth, and our team’s knowledge of the intricacies of adoption will help you focus on the joy of preparing your home for a new family member.

What Do I Need to Know About Closed Adoptions?

Closed adoptions, also called “confidential” or “secret” adoptions, provide privacy and anonymity and help both the birth mother and the adoptive family feel as though a new chapter of life can truly begin. Closed adoptions are unique because of the complete lack of communication with the birth mother and prospective adoptive parents before, during, and after the adoption process. Even if the adoptive parents and the birth mother know each other prior to completing the adoption process, contact between the two groups will cease after the child is adopted. The birth father’s identity is rarely recorded. The paperwork containing the identities of and information about the two parties are often physically sealed to ensure there is no method of contact between the birth mother and the adoptive family and vice versa.

What are the Benefits of a Closed Adoption?

Although closed adoptions are becoming less and less common in the United States, the arrangement presents distinct advantages for the child being adopted, the birth mother, and the adoptive parents, including:

Privacy – the closed adoption process provides greater privacy for both the birth mother and the adoptive family. If, for example, a birth mother feels unsafe, or fears backlash for choosing to place her child up for adoption, a closed adoption ensures that her identity will remain a secret.
Fresh Start – the prohibition of communication between the birth mother and adoptive family enables both to have a fresh start, without concern of interference. The new family can spend quality time together without worrying about the inclusion or exclusion of the birth mother. Furthermore, the birth mother can obtain a more concrete sense of closure.
Clarity – knowing the birth mother can present tough decisions about co-parenting, or whether or not to allow the birth parent into the child’s life. A closed adoption eliminates many difficult questions and confusion for the child.
Protection– if the birth family, or birth family members, live in an unstable environment that is unfit for a child, a closed adoption will provide boundaries that protect the child from undue stress.

If these benefits seem appealing to you or appropriate for your situation, a closed adoption might be a good fit for your family.

What are the Potential Drawbacks of a Closed Adoption?

Closed adoptions are not the perfect option for every family. The strict confidentiality agreement does present some disadvantages that are worth considering and discussing with an attorney. These may include:

The potential for increased uncertainty – A closed adoption process severely limits the amount of information it is possible to gather about the birthmother and her intentions. If an adoptive family ever has questions about the history of the birth mother or their child, they will never be able to get those answers in a closed adoption.
A limited ability to seek further medical information – Once a closed adoption is completed, the files are literally sealed. It is difficult for the adoptive family to obtain more medical information from the birth mother because communication is cut off.
Difficulty finding a child – These days, most birth mothers opt for open or semi-open adoptions over closed adoptions. By limiting themselves to a closed adoption, adoptive families also limit the number of birth mothers they may be matched with.
Preoccupation with adoption – The adopted child may become preoccupied with the identity of their birth mother due to the inability to discover information about her.

When considering which process of adoption is best for your family, it is imperative that you contact a lawyer who is familiar with each of the avenues through which adoption occurs. Only by speaking to a professional can you ensure the process you choose is the best for your family.

Contact Us

Adoption is a monumental event that changes your life, and the life of a child, forever. Hiring a professional attorney who intimately understands the adoption process is crucial to getting a start on your new chapter, and to making the choices that best suit your family. The board certified adoption lawyers at Higdon, Hardy & Zuflacht, L.L.P. will help you stay organized throughout the adoption process, and enable you to focus on the joy of this exciting time in your family’s life. If you are considering a closed adoption, contact our firm today at (210) 349-9933.