Colorado Springs Adoption Lawyer

Serving Clients in Parker, Pueblo, and the Surrounding Areas

If you are looking to adopt and you live in Colorado Springs, Parker, Pueblo or surrounding area, get in touch with Clawson & Clawson, LLP. Our attorneys have more than 100 years of collective legal experience that we can put to good use in helping you navigate through the legalities of the adoption process in Colorado. Our lawyers have also received honors such as "Top 100 Trial Lawyers," voted "Best Lawyer" (CS Independent) and voted "Best Attorney in Colorado Springs" (Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph).

What are the Requirements to Adopt in Colorado?

For an adoption to be legal and binding, there are requirements for the child as well as for the potential adoptive parents. In order for a child to become "adoptable," the birth parents must relinquish their parental rights or the court must terminate the birth parent's/current legal guardian's rights.

There are many different types of adoption, such as family member adoption, international adoptions, U.S. citizen adoptions and adoptions of children in the Colorado public child welfare system. If you choose to adopt a foster child, then you will begin by selecting a Colorado adoption agency. Because Colorado is an agency state, you must go through a private or county child placement agency. You can then attend an orientation and begin training classes. After a home study review typically lasting six months, the adoption can be finalized in county court.

International Adoption in Colorado

There are also various international adoption agencies located in Colorado. International adoptions are both state and federally regulated, and these requirements are generally more strict than adopting a child from Colorado. International adoptions by Coloradoans are regulated by the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoptions and the State of Colorado Department of Human Services. Clawson & Clawson, LLP can help you find an accredited agency and assist you in meeting the requirements necessary for international adoption.

What is the Difference Between an Open and Closed Adoption?

A closed adoption means that the adopted child will have no contact with their birth parents while an open adoption means that the adopted child can openly communicate with and even visit their birth parents.

How Much, on Average, Does it Cost to Adopt a Child?

The cost of adopting a child is based on a number of factors, such as child placement agency fees, attorney fees, court fees and filing fees. Adopting a child from the Colorado public child welfare system is typically the least expensive and these adoptive parents may also qualify for certain tax and educational benefits. Private child placement agencies typically offer adoption services from $1,800 to $3,500.

What Can Warrant an Intra-Family Adoption?

If a family court or social worker deems that a child's birth parents or current legal guardians are not fit to take care of their children, then they will typically try to place the children with another family member before letting a non-relative adopt. This is why so many Colorado adoptions are by grandparents, stepparents, aunts/uncles and other family members.

What Does it Mean if an Adoptable Child is "Special Needs"?

The Colorado child public welfare system refers to certain adoptable children as having "special needs." This does not always imply that a child has special medical needs, but can mean: 1) The child is five years or older, 2) The child must be placed in a home with their siblings, 3) The child is African American or Hispanic, 4) The child has a developmental disability, or 5) The child has some other type of physical, mental or emotional disability.

Contact Our Adoption Attorney Today

Contact a Colorado Springs family law attorney at Clawson & Clawson, LLP if you are considering adoption in Colorado. There are many legal hurdles that you may be faced with, but our firm is dedicated to helping turn adoption dreams into realities.