Dale Dove has been my mentor in adoption law and life for the past four years; he has taught me quite a bit about both. To get a small taste of Dale’s passion for both the law and life read about his quest to help the McClain family adopt Alyssa before Mr. McClain dies in A Dying Man’s Race
Family Law
TPR:According to the Parent’s Means
By Russell W. Hall III on
In South Carolina, a petitioner may ask the court to terminate a parent’s rights if “[t]he child has lived outside the home of either parent for a period of six months, and during that time the parent has wilfully failed to support the child. Failure to support means that the parent has failed to make…
Exception to the South Carolina Rule
By Russell W. Hall III on
South Carolina law was amended last year to require all private adoptions of children being placed in South Carolina to be initiated and finalized in South Carolina. I affectionately call it the "South Carolina Rule." The law is explained in this blog post.
Section 63-9-1110(5) of the South Carolina Code of Laws outlines the the…
Fresh Air Experience: A Worthy Cause for Kids
By Russell W. Hall III on
Posted in Charity, Family Law
Below is a verbatim e-mail from Sara at Fresh Air Fund; she is right I do not blog about anything except adoption law and related stories. I guess she got me at a weak moment.
Good Luck!
"Hi
I know that this isn’t something that you typically post about, but I thought that you and
…
Consents and Relinquishments Made Simple (Part 1)
A Consent and Relinquishment( "Consent") is an adoption attorney’s best tool for a smooth adoption. With one from each parent in hand , the adoption will be made final with few or no problems with few exceptions.
Executing a consent can be as easy as executing a simple will or as complicated as executing a complex contract between…
Another Attorney’s Analysis of Roe v. Reese
In my last blog, I talked about the ramification of the recent Roe v. Reese decision on father’s rights and the effects it has on my clients; my take seems to be elementary compared with Gregory S. Forman’s take. You can read his take at his blog.
Supreme Court: Father Needs to Grasp Opportunity and Accept Measure of Responsibility to Protect Rights
In Roe v. Reeves, the adoptive parents appeal a family court’s decision where the birth father claims his consent was necessary prior to another couple adopting his child. The family court agreed with the father; the Supreme Court reversed stating that the father did not undertake sufficient good faith effort to assume parental responsibility…
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, Affidavits, and Adoptions
By Russell W. Hall III on
The below requirements apply to any civil action or proceeding, including any child custody proceeding, in which the Defendant does not make an appearance.
A Plaintiff is required to let the Court know via an affidavit whether or not the Defendant is in military service or not.
The consequence of a Defendant being in the…
Which Fathers Need to be Named as Defendants in an Adoption?
Any father whose consent and relinquishment is required must be named a defendant in an adoption proceeding if he does not consent and relinquish his rights.
If the child was conceived or born during the marriage of husband and wife whether or not the husband is the actual father, the husband’s consent and relinquishment is required. If he…
2010 Adoption Tax Credit is Refundable!
By Russell W. Hall III on
Posted in Adoption, Family Law
The 2010 tax credit is refundable up to $13,170. If your child is determined to be special needs then you will receive the whole tax credit no matter how much you spent. My friends at about.com have a great article explaining the tax credit thoroughly at this link. By the way, refundable means you…