NJSBA Family Law Section

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Webcast- Stepparent Adoption | Dec. 14

  • 1.  Webcast- Stepparent Adoption | Dec. 14

    Posted 12-02-2021 01:01 PM
    Good afternoon Family Law Section members,

    On Tuesday, Dec. 14, NJICLE will present Webcast- Stepparent Adoption from 12 to 1:40 p.m.

    Many stepparents provide their stepchildren with love and support and are eager to adopt them. Clients often ask lawyers to handle stepparent adoptions, and attorneys should be aware of the problems and pitfalls they may encounter. Our lunchtime webinar features Debra Guston, Adoption Director and Past President of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys. She discusses the issues and steps involved in a stepparent adoption, the mistakes attorneys frequently make, and the problems that can impede an adoption.

    FACULTY
    Featuring:
    Donald C. Cofsky, Esq.
    Cofsky & Zeidman, LLC, Haddonfield and Woodbury
    Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney
    Fellow and Past President, American Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys
    Named as an Angel in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption
    Debra E. Guston, Esq., C.A.E.
    Member, Supreme Court Family Practice Committee
    Past Chair, NJSBA LGBT Section
    Adoption Director and Past President, Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys
    Angel in Adoption Recipient
    NJICLE Distinguished Service Award Recipient
    Guston & Guston, LLP, Glen Rock
    Robin A. Fleischner, Esq.
    Millburn and New York City
    Fellow, American Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys
    Named as an Angel in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption
    Lauri R. Steinberg, Esq.
    Pine & Steinberg, LLC, Summit

    TOPICS:
    • Qualifications for becoming a stepparent
    • Notification of the biological/legal parent
         - How notification needs to be done
         - What to do if you have difficulty serving/notifying the parent
    • Is the biological/legal parent named on the child’s birth certificate?
    • Requirements for adopting
         - Consent of both biological/legal parents
         - Situations in which consent of the non-custodial parent is not needed
         - The child’s consent
         - Proving abandonment or lack of biological connection
         - Obtaining permission for termination of parental rights
         - Showing abuse and neglect when permission cannot be obtained
         - Best interest of the child standard
    • Forms and paperwork needed for the adoption
    • Caselaw relating to stepparent adoptions
    • Background checks and home studies

    CLE Credits:
    NJ CLE information: This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 2.0 hours of total CLE credit. Of these, 2.0 qualify as hours of credit toward certification in matrimonial law.
    NJ CLE: This program has been approved for 2.0 credits (50 minute hour)
    Matrimonial Law Certification: 2.0 custody credits pending
    PA CLE: 1.5 substantive credits pending ($8 fee – separate check payable to NJICLE must be submitted at the end of the program)
    NY CLE (nt): 2.0 professional practice credits

    The tuition for NJSBA members is $99. The general tuition is $125.

    Click here to register for Webcast- Stepparent Adoption.

    For questions or to register by phone, please contact an association representative at 732-214-8500, or by email at [email protected].

    All the best,
    Barb

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    Barbara Straczynski
    Director of New Media and Promotions
    New Jersey State Bar Association
    New Brunswick NJ
    (732) 937-7524
    [email protected]
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