What happens to child custody if something happens to me?

Breaking up with your child’s father makes a difference to your life in a million different ways.  Ultimately, your estate plan is one of those ways that – though it may not immediately be apparent to you, if you’re young-ish and in relatively good health – can sneak up on you later.  Regardless of your...

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Special Issues in Custody: Adoption

Most of the time, adoption isn’t a big part of what we do. In some cases, though, it can come up in certain ways. Most of the time, the question is whether a new stepparent can adopt a child from a previous relationship. There are all sorts of interrelated issues: termination of parental rights, stepparent...

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Virginia Name Changes and Stepparent Adoptions

So, your child’s biological father is a deadbeat, and now you’ve found Mr. Wonderful (not Mr. Wonderful of the Shark Tank variety, to be clear). He is willing to adopt your child, and to have her assume his last name. Isn’t it amazing? But is it really that easy? In most cases, no! It’s actually...

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