Looking for advice...only posted a few time to this board
I posted last week about my ss and sd bm email me wanting to sign away her parental rights so that DH and I can do a stepparent adoption. We finally met with an attorney yesterday afternoon. It is going to cost us $2300 to have it all finalized and complete.
Background is the BM left during a custody battle in July 2007. Has not seen or talked to sd or ss since that time. She was only granted supervised visitation though a facility called Hannah's house. She was required to pay $100 a month in child support. She was never exercised her right to visitation and she has never paid childsupport.
DH and I would really like to go through with the termination and adoption HOWEVER we will have to come up with the $2300. We can take out of our retirement funds but it will take a bit to actually get the money. Our concern is that we will pay and start the process and spend all the money and it will have just been a game to her.
WWYD? This really would be the best situation for my sk. Their mother was nothing more than a disappointment to them. She had real problems. However we are really concerned that we will be throwing the money away if she backs out....
Re: Looking for advice...only posted a few time to this board
Attorney fees. I have checked into state law and I drew up the paperwork that I thought we needed to go through with this on our own. However I got nervous that I would do something incorrect and then we would have a huge mess on our hands later on down the road. I tried contacting attorneys to see if they will look over the paperwork that I filled out but no one will touch it because they are afraid of a malpractice suit.
Do you know of anyone who has ever done this on their own that is on the board?
Call your local bar association and see if they have a free clinic that they are offering. I think all states do this at least a few times per year.
I also think that if you can scrape the $2300 togther, it's worth taking a gamble on if you think that it's in the children's best interest.
Get a loan or take it out of your retirement fund.
Put a clause in the paperwork that BM gets to pay all the lawyer fees is she backs out once the process begins.
I bet if you could go after her for that CS she owes you, you would have the money you need to finish these papers?. How nice of her to be a deadbeat.
RSVP Date: 2/28/2011