LGBTQ ASSISTANCE
Pennsylvania provides no automatic protections to the gay and lesbian community. Although you may be facing the exact same issues as any couple in PA, whether married or unmarried, the law does not afford the same level of protection. Therefore, it is vitally important to discuss your situation with a competent lawyer in order to make certain that your children, your interests and assets are protected.
LGBT ADOPTIONS & ALTERNATIVE REPRODUCTION
Successful Adoptions & Alternative Reproduction have three basic phases:
- Finding a match
- The legal process
- Emotional adjustments
All three phases are individually complicated and we will guide you through the entire adoption process, which may include any of the following:
- Private licensed adoption agency finalizations
- Public agency finalizations
- Independent (or private) adoptions
- Interstate adoptions, both independent and agency
- Stepparent adoptions
- International adoptions
- Opening adoption records
- Embryo adoptions
- Assistance in obtaining home-study services
- Single parent adoptions
- Relative adoptions
- Termination of parental rights
Whether it’s in the United States or around the world, bringing new families together is a rewarding part of Zanita A. Zacks-Gabriel’s LGBT practice. She wants her clients to focus on the enjoyment of growing their family without worrying about the complex, procedural hurdles of same-sex adoption.
Zanita will coordinate all parties, court and state agencies, as well as identify opportunities to expedite the process to save our clients both time and money. She possesses an in-depth knowledge of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children as well as federal and state statutes on adoptions, which makes navigating the snarls of international adoptions that much easier.
Moreover, Zanita is adept at dealing with complex jurisdictional differences and possesses the cultural sensitivity necessary to complete international adoptions.
While the legal process varies depending on the type of adoption, each state requires that LGBT adoptions comply with a number of legal and non-legal requirements prior to approval and finalization. Whether you are contemplating an open, domestic adoption, or a co-parent adoption of a spouse or partner’s child, Zanita A. Zacks-Gabriel will provide you the counsel required to navigate this complex path.