Blended families are common and, often, a stepparent desires to adopt a stepchild or a biological parent wants to defend against the termination of his or her legal parental rights.

Assuming or revoking one’s parental rights and responsibilities over a child is a significant event, and you should have an experienced family law attorney on your side. We are the lawyers of McPhail Law. From our office in Wheeling, West Virginia, we can guide you through every step of your stepparent adoption case.

If you would like to learn more, call (304) 905-9783 to schedule a consultation.

Stepparents Can Adopt In West Virginia

In West Virginia, a stepparent along with his or her spouse (the biological parent) can file a petition to adopt a stepchild. The consent of the spouse, the child (if he or she is over 12 years of age) and the biological parent who is terminating his or her parental rights are necessary.

We understand that this can be an extremely sensitive issue for everyone. As a result, we will work diligently to forge consensus where available. If necessary to protect the child’s interests, we will be ready to litigate in court.



If you cannot obtain the rights of the other biological parent, you must prove that terminating the biological parent’s legal rights is in the child’s best interests. If certain factors are met, such as abandonment by the biological parent for at least six months, the biological parent whose parental rights are being terminated will not need to consent to the adoption.

Stepparent Adoption Grants Full Parental Rights

A stepparent adoption is an important step that grants you full parental rights and responsibilities for your stepchild, including all legal and financial obligations. If you are considering a stepparent adoption or wish to defend against the termination of your legal parental rights in a stepparent adoption, please contact our office for an initial consultation at (304) 905-9783.