Voluntary and Involuntary Termination in Texas
Experience in Agreed and Contested Parental Rights Suits
Cody L. Cofer is a Fort Worth family law attorney that can help you terminate the rights of your child’s biological parents or fight to keep your rights from being terminated. To seek the involuntary termination of a parent’s rights is a suit affecting the parent-child relationship (SAPCR) and is generally governed by the provisions of Chapter 161 of the Texas Family Code. Suits for termination of parental rights may be joined with a suits for voluntary paternity of a child (Texas Family Cody Chapter 160) or for adoption under Chapter 161 of the Texas Family Code. Parental rights for at least one parent must be terminated before an adoption can take place, unless the suit for termination is joined with the adoption suit. Cody can handled your Tarrant County termination case either separately or in conjunction with one of these other family law suits.
Do you need a Tarrant County family law attorney?
A suit for termination of the parent-child relationship should be filed in the county where the child resides unless there is another court that has a pending case. It is important that you bring Cody all documents you have from any previous court proceedings concerning the child to be adopted. There are some other exceptions to this rule, but you can talk with Cody specifically about this. Generally, courts with original jurisdiction over actions to terminate parental rights are the district court and special courts, including certain juvenile courts having jurisdiction as a district court, and any other court that has expressly received jurisdiction of a suit affecting the parent-child relationship. Texas Family Code Chapter 101. In Tarrant County, this may be the Family Law Courts, Juvenile Law Court, or a handful of other courts. These courts are all located in Fort Worth, Texas.
Cody L. Cofer can help with the many required steps.
Before a termination suit is filed, Cody may have to inquire of the bureau of vital statistics whether a court has already acquired jurisdiction of a suit affecting the child involved in a termination action. The provisions of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act (UCCJA) also apply to termination of parental rights actions, since the definition of “custody proceeding” includes child neglect and dependency proceedings. In addition to the law of terminating parental rights, Cody is experienced with all of the many administrative steps you must take to terminated a parents rights. Call Cody and setup and appointment to talk with him about all of the steps required for a termination suit.
