Adoption
Based in beautiful Burlington, Vermont on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, MURDOCH HUGHES & TWAROG Attorneys at Law, P.C., offers adoption-related legal services throughout Vermont. Please note that we do not provide matching services, but provide legal representation and consultation to agencies, adoptive parents and birth parents in identified adoptions. We also have years of litigation experience in contested termination of parental rights proceedings in the probate and family courts.
A significant part of our adoption practice is in the area of stepparent adoptions. In these cases, the stepparent is often the only mother or father a child has known, and it is important to help make these emotional bonds legally secure as well. There is a maze of forms and background clearances to negotiate, as well as work necessary to obtain the consent from the noncustodial biological parent, or to terminate his or her parental rights as needed. Stepparent adoptions are also recommended procedure for same-sex couples who have expanded their family through donor or gestational carrier procedures. We handle uncontested cases for a fixed fee throughout the State, communicating with clients and drafting documents through e- mail exchanges. Separate fee arrangements must be made to handle contested termination proceedings.
Kurt M. Hughes has been a fellow of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (www.adoptionattorneys.org) since 1998, and continues to be the only practicing member in Vermont. This is an invitation-only national association of attorneys who practice, or have otherwise distinguished themselves, in the field of adoption law. The Academy’s work includes the reform of adoption laws, and disseminating information on ethical adoption practices.