Areas of Law · Crone Law PLLC
Adoptions in San Antonio
An adoption is one of the rare days a courtroom fills with joy. The work that gets you there is technical, and doing it right is how the day arrives on schedule.
Types of Adoption
Stepparent and relative adoptions, agency and private placements, and adult adoptions each follow their own path under the Texas Family Code, and the order of the steps matters as much as the paperwork. As a general rule, an adult may petition to adopt a child whose parent-child relationship with each living parent has been terminated, with defined exceptions such as a stepparent adoption.1 When termination is contested, a court may order it only on proof of a statutory ground together with a finding that termination is in the child’s best interest.2 Bryan Kennedy-Crone reads the facts of each family against those requirements and explains plainly which path the case follows.
Consents, Checks, and the Hearing
Texas builds several protections into the adoption record, and each one is a step Crone Law PLLC prepares for in advance. A petitioner in a suit to adopt must obtain a criminal history record check.3 A managing conservator’s written consent is required, and a child who is twelve or older must consent as well, unless the court waives that consent in the child’s best interest.4 A child who is twelve or older to be adopted must also attend the hearing, again unless the court waives attendance in the child’s best interest.5 Prospective adoptive parents are entitled to a report on the child’s health, social, educational, and genetic history, which the firm helps gather and present.6
What to Expect
Bryan Kennedy-Crone handles the consents, the termination, the home-study coordination, and the final hearing, so the legal process stays steady while your family focuses on the part that counts. Timelines vary with the type of adoption and whether a termination is contested, and the firm gives you a realistic estimate for your case at the start. At the close of a successful case, the court may change the child’s name in the decree of adoption, and the firm makes sure that final order reflects the family the way it should read going forward.7
- Stepparents adopting a spouse’s child
- Grandparents and relatives seeking to adopt
- Families pursuing a private or agency adoption
- Parents addressing consent or a contested termination
- Adults formalizing a lifelong parent-child bond
Common Questions
Does the other biological parent have to agree?
Often their rights must be terminated first, by consent or on statutory grounds, with a best-interest finding. The firm assesses your situation honestly.
Does the child have a say?
A child twelve or older generally must consent and attend the hearing, unless the court waives it in the child’s best interest. The firm prepares for both steps.
Is a home study required?
Many adoptions require background checks and a history report on the child. The firm tells you what your case needs and coordinates it.
Sources & Authorities
Statutes on this page link to their official sources. Provided for transparency and general information, not as legal advice.
- Tex. Family Code § 162.001, Who May Adopt and Be Adopted (an adult may petition to adopt a child whose parent-child relationship with each living parent has been terminated, with exceptions such as a stepparent adoption). statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↩
- Tex. Family Code § 161.001, Involuntary Termination of Parent-Child Relationship (a court may order termination only on proof of a statutory ground together with a finding that termination is in the child’s best interest). statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↩
- Tex. Family Code § 162.0085, Criminal History Report Required (a petitioner in a suit to adopt must obtain a criminal history record check). statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↩
- Tex. Family Code § 162.010, Consent Required (a managing conservator’s written consent is required, and a child 12 or older must consent unless the court waives it in the child’s best interest). statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↩
- Tex. Family Code § 162.014, Attendance at Hearing Required (a child 12 or older to be adopted must attend the hearing, unless the court waives attendance in the child’s best interest). statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↩
- Tex. Family Code § 162.005, Preparation of Health, Social, Educational, and Genetic History Report (the prospective adoptive parents are entitled to a report on the child’s health, social, educational, and genetic history). statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↩
- Tex. Family Code § 162.016, Adoption Order (the court may change the child’s name in the decree of adoption). statutes.capitol.texas.gov ↩
- State Bar of Texas, Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 7.01 (communications concerning a lawyer’s services). texasbar.com ↩
King William Law Center is a shared office for independent firms. This page is attorney advertising and general information, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Crone Law PLLC, not King William Law Center, provides the legal services described here. The practice of law in Texas is governed by the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct.8 Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.