In this video, our Cook County adoption lawyers explain the adoption process in Illinois. We explain how to file an adoption petition, how to determine which court to file in, the deadline to file the petition, and how to obtain leave of court to file the petition if you have missed the deadline.  We also explain what to expect from the adoption hearing. There are five different types of adoption: related adoption, agency adoption, private adoption, adoption of an adult, and standby adoption. A person is eligible to adopt a child in Illinois if he or she: does not have a legal disability; has lived in Illinois for at least 6 months (this requirement is reduced to 90 days if the adopting individual is a member of the Armed Forces); has a good reputation.  A child is available for adoption in Illinois if: the child has been surrendered to an agency and the agency has consented to adoption; a person authorized by a court to consent to adoption has consented; the child's biological parents have placed the child in the custody of the prospective adoptive parents.

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In this video, our Cook County adoption attorneys explain how the role of an adoption attorney are about the same in any type of agency adoption and don’t differ dramatically from other types of adoptions. The attorney may not have to do as much footwork as in a private adoption where he or she is the main bridge between the adoptive parents and biological parents, but there is still a good deal of legal work to be completed before the adoption is finalized. The main fact to remember is that the attorney in any agency adoption is the representative of the adoptive parents and the adoptive parents are the clients of the attorney. The attorney does not represent any other party in the adoption process, including the adoption agency, biological parents, child, etc.

In this article, our Cook County adoption lawyers explain that it is possible to reverse an adoption in Illinois, but the laws surrounding adoption are very strict in Illinois and the rest of the United States. There are a handful of reasons an adoption may be reversed.

• The birth parents were defrauded or under extreme distress during the decision to place their child up for adoption and/or during the adoption process;
• The child has unexpected needs that the adoptive parents feel they cannot meet; usually, these are medical complications;
• The adoptive parents suddenly develop health issues that severely complicate their ability to care for the adopted child; or
• The child’s living situation is found to not be in his or her best interest.