Adoption Attorney in Salem

More Than 175 Years of Combined Family Law Experience for Your Adoption

Adoption can be a rewarding legal process for a family, but it is also heavily regulated. Massachusetts law sets specific requirements for who can adopt, how consent works, and what steps must be completed before a court will finalize an adoption. 

Our Salem adoption attorneys at Koiles Pratt Family Law Group guide you through each stage of that process, from initial eligibility through final court approval, so you can focus on what matters most: welcoming a child into your home.

Consult a Salem adoption lawyer about your case by contacting us online or at (978) 744-7774. We offer virtual consultations for your convenience, as well as office locations in both Salem and Boston. 

Our Adoption Representation for Clients in Massachusetts

Whether you’re considering adoption within an existing family or through an agency or international process, our attorneys help you understand which type of adoption applies to your situation and what Massachusetts law requires at each step. 

We help you prepare the necessary documentation, navigate home studies and background checks, address parental consent and termination of parental rights, and represent you at the final adoption hearing.

For families adopting a spouse’s or relative’s child, we can assess the child’s custody or guardianship status, the role of the other legal parent, and the filings required for that adoption.

We handle several types of adoption, each with its own process and requirements:

• Agency adoption: Adoptions arranged through a licensed adoption agency, which can involve coordination with the agency or the Department of Children and Families, agency placement, and reporting requirements.
• Relative adoption: Adoption by a family member, such as a grandparent, aunt, or uncle, subject to the child’s circumstances and Massachusetts requirements.
• Stepparent adoption: Adoption of a spouse’s child, legally formalizing a parent-child relationship that may already exist in practice and potentially involving the other legal parent’s consent or notice.
• Foster care adoption: Adoption of a child in the custody of the Department of Children and Families (DCF), which follows requirements distinct from a family-member adoption.
• International adoption: Adoption of a child from another country, which involves both Massachusetts law and federal and foreign legal requirements.
• Open adoption: An arrangement that allows for ongoing contact between the adoptive family, the child, and birth parents, when legally permitted and agreed to by the relevant parties.

Who Can Adopt in Massachusetts?

An adult may generally petition to adopt a person younger than the petitioner, subject to statutory exceptions and court review. Massachusetts guidance also provides that either the petitioner or child must be a Massachusetts resident, and single people and unmarried couples may adopt. When a petitioner is married, both spouses generally participate unless a statutory exception applies.

Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, courts generally require written consent from the child being adopted if they’re over age 12 and from qualifying legal parents or previous adoptive parents, unless the court dispenses with that requirement under applicable law.

For a child under 14, an adoption can only be finalized if at least one of the following applies: 

• The child was placed with the adoptive parents by the Department of Children and Families or an authorized agency
• The petitioner is a blood relative of the child
• The petitioner is the child’s stepparent
• The petitioner was nominated as guardian or adoptive parent in a deceased natural parent’s will
• The adoption petition was otherwise approved in writing by DCF or an authorized agency

When Consent Isn’t Required

In certain situations, Massachusetts courts can proceed with an adoption even without the consent normally required. Under Chapter 210, Section 3, the court may dispense with consent after required notice and findings under the statute. In a contested matter, the court may need to address parental fitness and whether dispensing with consent serves the child’s best interests.

Consent formalities, notice to a nonconsenting legal parent, and termination of parental rights require careful review. These questions can arise in stepparent, relative, agency, and other adoption proceedings, and they are separate from identifying the appropriate adoption type.

Discuss Your Case with a Salem Adoption Lawyer

Adoption changes a family forever. We help you identify the appropriate path, prepare the required records, and address consent or notice issues before seeking court approval. 

Since 2004, we have represented Massachusetts family-law clients. Our attorneys share more than 175 years of combined experience, and Jennifer Koiles and Marc A. Eichler are Fellows of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Reach us online or at (978) 744-7774 to schedule a consultation about adoption today.