I have sole custody of my daughter, her father is unknown to me and her. We don't have oodles of money to afford a lawyer. What are the steps to take action in him adopting her?
Thank you for any information.

I have sole custody of my daughter, her father is unknown to me and her. We dont have oodles of money to afford a lawyer. What are the steps to take action in him adopting her?
Thank you for any information.


You would go to whatever local Court handles adoptions - some States are user friendly (particularly in a situation like this), some are not.

When you say her father is unknown, though, do you mean you don't know his NAME or you don't know where he is and he never visits or pays support?

The child cannot be adopted without the consent of the father so you need to locate him and ask for his consent IF you know who the father is.

When you say her father is unknown, though, do you mean you don't know his NAME or you don't know where he is and he never visits or pays support?

The child cannot be adopted without the consent of the father so you need to locate him and ask for his consent IF you know who the father is.

The truth is we don't know who he is, where he is, or his name nor practically what he looks like. I couldn't find him if I wanted to. I don't know if that makes an adoption harder or easier. Either way is a lawyer required?

You'll need to determine the father by DNA tests. Get a list together of the men you were with during that time, etc. Then the father would have to sign over his rights before your husband could adopt the child. You won't need a lawyer from my understanding, unless you cannot find the father. Then it gets even more messy... I'm not sure how that would be handled if the biological father could not be found.
Consider contacting a Pro Bono lawyer, or legal aid? Or see if you can get a free consult from a lawyer who deals with adoptions and get some info out of them for free!

You'll need to determine the father by DNA tests. Get a list together of the men you were with during that time, etc. Then the father would have to sign over his rights before your husband could adopt the child. You won't need a lawyer from my understanding, unless you cannot find the father. Then it gets even more messy.... I'm not sure how that would be handled if the biological father could not be found.
Consider contacting a Pro Bono lawyer, or legal aid? Or see if you can get a free consult from a lawyer who deals with adoptions and get some info out of them for free !!


In some States if you have absolutely no idea who the father is, have a list of names or partial names of men nobody can find, the Court will allow the adoption to go through with an Affidavit from the mother stating that she does not know the identity of the father. This happens in cases of sexual assault.

I would go to the Court that handles these matters in your area and get their advice.