People are sometimes surprised to learn that you can adopt an adult in California. For me, they are some of my favorite cases to handle because of the meaningfulness to all parties! This quote was the reasoning for a recent adult adoption I had the honor of handling. ❤️
Often adult adoption cases involve an adoption by a step-parent or another parent-like figure, or it’s an adoption of a young adult where the adoption couldn’t be completed prior to the adoptee turning 18 for one reason or another.
In an adult adoption, the petitioner and adoptee enter into an agreement to have a legal parent-child relationship and then petition the court to accept the agreement and legally recognize the relationship. Typically, there is no investigation or home study requirement. The court then will hold a hearing and issue an order of adoption declaring that the parties have a legal parent-child relationship including the right to inheritance.
Birth parents do not get notice and do not have to consent to the adoption of an adult. The parental rights of the birth parents are typically terminated as an operation of law, but there are procedures to waive that termination if that’s something the adoptee wants.
Interested in learning more? I’m always happy to schedule a consultation to see if an adult adoption might be right for your family!