Adoption

Our specialist family team has a wealth of experience, and supports clients through private adoption with care and compassion.

What is private adoption?

Adoption is the legal process by which a child becomes the legal child of an individual or couple. The effect of adoption is that the adoptive parents assume legal and parental responsibility for the child in place of the child’s birth parents.

Private adoptions are referred to as non-agency or private adoptions as they involve adoptive placements that have not been arranged by the local authority or another adoption agency.

Step-parent adoption

Step-parent adoption is when the partner of one of the child’s birth parents wishes to consolidate their existing relationship with the child, and secure legal status as the child’s other parent.

Applications for adoption are usually made by a step-parent in circumstances where the child’s other birth parent has had little or no involvement in their life and been absent for some time.

Whilst the partner’s legal rights and status are not affected by an adoption order, as a consequence of adoption by a step-parent the other birth parent
loses parental responsibility for the child, so adoption is not appropriate in all circumstances. However, in cases where adoption is not possible, or not advised, other options may be explored by the step-parent, such as obtaining parental responsibility for the child.‍

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‍Adopting from countries outside of the UK

Inter-country adoption can involve a range of different scenarios, such as a couple wishing to adopt a child who is in care overseas, a UK expatriate who adopted a child whilst living abroad seeking to return to live in the UK with the child, and relatives looking to adopt a child from a family member living abroad. There are different rules depending on whether the domestic country is a Hague Convention country or a Non-Hague Convention country.

There are a number of different procedures to enable a child to be adopted in England and Wales or have a foreign adoption recognised in England and
Wales. The law is highly complex and ever evolving, there is no one size fits all approach, so any prospective adoptive parent must seek specialist bespoke legal advice before bonding with the child and commencing the adoption process.

Why choose Sheridans for private adoption?

Priya Palanivel is an adoption specialist. She advises clients who are considering step-parent adoption or wishing to adopt a child who lives outside of the UK on the eligibility criteria, their suitability for adoption, the factors considered by the court when dealing with adoption applications and each stage of the legal process.

We are part of a global network of family lawyers operating in many jurisdictions, and we work with international lawyers and other professionals to provide a comprehensive service in every adoption case.

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Divorce, Dissolution, Separation and Nullity

Matrimonial Finances

Cohabitation

Agreements

International Family Law

Enforcement of court orders

Child arrangements

Financial provision for children

Surrogacy and parental orders

Protective Measures and Injunctions

Family Mediation

Other alternative dispute resolution

Divorce, Dissolution, Separation and Nullity

A relationship breakdown that ends in divorce or dissolution can be a challenging and emotional subject to discuss, whether for personal, religious or cultural reasons.

Matrimonial Finances

One of the more complex areas of family law is financial provision following divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership.

Cohabitation

Common law marriage is a myth in England and Wales. As a result of this common misconception, cohabitees can find themselves in financial difficulty if their relationship breaks down.

Agreements

Our expert family team deals with the full range of agreements, including pre and post-nuptial agreements, pre and post-civil partnership agreements, living together, separation and settlement agreements.

International Family Law

Many of our cases cross jurisdictions and involve conflicts of law and cross-border disputes. We regularly advise clients on international issues arising in cases involving finances, agreements and arrangements for children and seek advice from our international network of family lawyers on the application of foreign law.

Enforcement of court orders

Our highly skilled family team assists clients by taking action to enforce court orders in circumstances where there has been a breach.

Child arrangements

We assist our clients in all aspects of private children law, and guide them through, what can often be a very emotional and challenging time.

Financial provision for children

Our specialist family team advises on the full range of financial provision which can be made for the benefit of children of married and unmarried couples, pursuant to the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 and Schedule 1 to the Children Act 1989 (known as Schedule 1).

Surrogacy and parental orders

Surrogacy is one of a range of assisted conception options for people who are unable to conceive or carry a child themselves.

Protective Measures and Injunctions

Abuse and violence within any family is a matter that our expert team handles with utmost care and sensitivity.

Family Mediation

Mediation is a method for resolving disputes which is wholly endorsed by the family justice system and family law practitioners.

Other alternative dispute resolution

Litigating in the family court should be a last resort, but there are cases in which an application is necessary, and court proceedings cannot be avoided. The members of our expert team are highly experienced strategists and litigators, should any family matter reach this point.

Meet the team

Sheridans has a specialist family team which provides advice in all aspects of family law, within a leading media, entertainment and technology law firm. We understand our clients’ needs for discretion, personal and bespoke advice in order to manage highly sensitive family cases.

Meet the team

Our TESTIMONIALS

‘I found the quality of service outstanding. All of the individuals I encountered were extremely impressive – very on the ball legally and extremely responsive.’

‘Sheridans provides brilliant and balanced advice. It handles its cases with an effortless efficiency and there is an air of reassuring quality when dealing with the firm.’

‘Sheridans has a wealth of experience in all aspects of private family law. It routinely acts for high-net-worth and high-profile individuals such as actors, sports stars and elite athletes, and there is often a significant international dimension to its work.’

‘Nothing is too much hassle, and everything is done promptly. Experienced, thoughtful and professional.’

‘The children/private law practice is first class – they show a real commitment to their clients and are able, with considerable expertise and an excellent knowledge base, to offer the type of service clients need. They offer realistic advice and then drive and persevere to pursue their case.’

‘The team provides a very personal and joined up experience across their different practice areas.’

‘Professional and knowledgeable. Very helpful and concentrates on what is absolutely needed.’

‘The team is well-placed to advise those who are susceptible to press exposure.’

‘The group’s particular expertise lies in advising wealthy individuals on issues such as matrimonial finance and private law children matters frequently with an international dimension.’

About SHERIDANS

Sheridans is a leading media and technology law firm whose lawyers combine in-depth legal and commercial knowledge with breadth of expertise and experience to give unparalleled advice to their clients.

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