1The topic of this issue of the newsletter is Adult Adoptions in California.

In the State of California any adult person may adopt another younger person so long as the person adopting is at least ten (10) years older than the person being adopted. An adult adoption is when someone adopts a person who is 18 or over and not related to them. An adult adoption changes the legal rights of the adoptive parent and the adoptee. It severs the existing relationship with biological parents. The person being adopted may be unrelated, or may be an adult stepchild, niece, nephew, cousin or grandchild of the adopting person. Often in a stepparent situation, when the legal parents rights cannot be terminated nor consent obtained, the parties can wait until the minor is 18 and proceed with an adult adoption which is much quicker and less expensive than adopting a minor. In adult adoptions, Neither the consent of the natural parent or parents of the person to be adopted is required; A Social Services investigation is typically not required; A married person who is not legally separated from his or her spouse cannot adopt an adult person without the consent of the spouse of the adopting person; A married person who is not legally separated from his or her spouse cannot be adopted without the consent of the spouse of the person to be adopted; The person being adopted may elect to change his or her name through the adoption proceeding or may elect to keep his or her existing name. A Petition for adult adoption is filed with the Court listing the name, age, date and place of birth of the Petitioners, how long the Petitioners have known each other, why the Petitioners want the adoption to take place and why the adoption is in the public interest. The Petition must also ask the Court to approve the adoption agreement and to make a Decree of adult adoption. If either Petitioner is married, the name of the spouse (if any), the date of their marriage, and the names and ages of their children must be provided. If spouses have signed consents to the adoption, their names and the dates they signed the consents must be listed in the Petition and the original signed consents must be attached as well as Exhibits to the Petition. An adoption agreement between the person to be adopted and the adoptive parent must also be filed with the Petition. Both Petitioners must sign and date the Agreement. The Agreement must say that they both agree to assume the legal relationship of parent and child and all the duties and responsibilities of that relationship. The filing fee for an adult adoption is $20.00. Some counties such as Los Angeles County, have a local form which must be used to request that a hearing date be set on the Petition for adult adoption. In other counties such as Orange County the memorandum for setting for hearing is used to request a hearing date.

If you enjoy this newsletter, tell others about it. They can subscribe by visiting the following link: http://www.legaldocspro.net/newsletter.htm Have a great week and thanks for being a subscriber. Yours Truly, Stan Burman The author of this newsletter, Stan Burman, is a freelance paralegal who has worked in California litigation since 1995. The author's website: http://www.legaldocspro.net View numerous sample documents sold by the author: http://www.scribd.com/legaldocspro Copyright 2012 Stan Burman. All rights reserved. DISCLAIMER: Please note that the author of this newsletter, Stan Burman is NOT an attorney and as such is unable to provide any specific legal advice. The author is NOT engaged in providing any legal, financial, or other professional services, and any information contained in this newsletter is NOT intended to constitute legal advice. These materials and information contained in this newsletter have been prepared by Stan Burman for informational purposes only and are not legal advice. Transmission of the information contained in this newsletter is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, any business relationship between the sender and receiver. Subscribers and any other readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel.