LS | Lisa Stern
Virtual Consultations Available | 248-973-7842
  • Home
  • About
    • Lisa D. Stern
  • Practice Areas
    • Divorce
    • Child Custody
    • Child Support
    • Second Family Adoption
    • Red Flag Laws
  • Blog
  • Articles
  • Contact
LS | Lisa Stern
  • Home
  • About
    • Lisa D. Stern
  • Practice Areas
    • Divorce
    • Child Custody
    • Child Support
    • Second Family Adoption
    • Red Flag Laws
  • Blog
  • Articles
  • Contact
Email

CALL

Lisa D. Stern

Over 30 YearsOf Serving Families In Michigan

  1. Home
  2.  » 
  3. Stepparent And Second Family Adoption
  4.  » 
  5. Stepparents Rights

Stepparents Rights

Last updated on March 19, 2025

Supporting Stepparents’ Rights In Child Custody And Adoption

In Michigan, stepparents and their spouses are often confused or frustrated by the role the law allows a stepparent to play in a stepchild’s life. If you are a stepparent, you may have encountered this firsthand; issues related to obtaining health care, disciplining a child, having a say in the child’s education, and many other matters can be needlessly complicated by your designation as a stepparent. Even if you are committed to raising and supporting a child, the law can make doing so very difficult simply because you are not the child’s biological parent.

What Can You Do?

In many situations, adopting the child will resolve most issues and grant you rights as the child’s parent. This process can be especially complicated, however, so it is vital to have an attorney you trust to guide you through it. Below, you will find a brief overview of the stepparent adoption process in Michigan. Lisa Stern encourages you to read this information and then contact her to learn more about stepparent adoption and other possible options that can help you maintain an active role in your stepchild’s life.

Stepparent Adoption In Michigan

If your spouse and the child’s other parent are able to get along, and the child’s other parent no longer wants parental rights and obligations, it can greatly increase the ease and efficiency of the stepparent adoption process. Under these circumstances, the other parent may voluntarily terminate his or her parental rights. After obtaining the court’s approval and waiting for the 21-day appeal period to end, the stepparent may adopt the child and gain parental rights.

Important note: If a child being adopted is 14 or older, he or she will also need to consent to the adoption before the court will approve it.

Contested Stepparent Adoptions

If the child’s other parent does not want you to adopt the child, you are dealing with a contested stepparent adoption and will have to go through a much more complex process. In Michigan, contested stepparent adoptions involve the involuntary termination of the noncustodial parent’s rights – you are asking the court to terminate the other parent’s rights despite his or her objections. The state does not take the termination of parental rights lightly, so it imposes a hefty burden that must be met to achieve such a termination.

The court will assess whether the noncustodial parent:

  • Has the means to support a child but has failed to provide “regular and substantial support” for the child for at least two years
  • Has “regularly and substantially failed or neglected” to visit or communicate with the child for at least two years

Both of these criteria must be met for the court to terminate the noncustodial parent’s rights and lay the groundwork for a stepparent adoption.

Contact Lisa Stern To Discuss Stepparent Adoption

Call Lisa D. Stern at 248-973-7842 to arrange a consultation and get the answers you need. Based in Bloomfield Hills, she serve clients in metro Detroit and throughout Michigan.

Practice Areas

  • Detroit Child Custody Lawyer
    • Best Interests Of The Child
    • Can I Get Sole Child Custody
    • Fathers’ Rights
    • Joint Custody
    • LGBT Couples
    • Second Parent Adoption
    • Michigan Child Protective Services Lawyer
    • Mothers’ Rights
    • Parenting Plans
    • Paternity
    • Revocation Of Paternity
    • Unmarried Couples
  • Detroit Child Support Lawyer
    • Changes In Circumstance
    • Changing Schools
    • Modifications
    • Parental Relocation
    • Post-Judgment
    • Visitation Interference
    • Violations Of Orders
  • Detroit Divorce Lawyer
    • Business Ownership In A Divorce
    • Collaborative Divorce
    • Divorce Over 50
    • Legal Separation vs. Divorce
    • Military Divorce
    • Preparing For Divorce
    • Detroit Postnuptial Agreement Lawyer
    • Detroit Spousal Support Attorney
    • High Asset Divorce Attorney Detroit, MI
    • Michigan Divorce Appeal Attorney
  • Stepparent And Second Family Adoption
    • Grandparents’ Rights
    • Specific Child Custody Situations
    • Stepparents Rights
  • Red Flag Laws

The Experience You Need. The Compassion You Deserve.

Contact Lisa For Help Today

LS | Lisa Stern

Bloomfield Hills Office

1760 South Telegraph Road
Suite 300
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302


Bloomfield Hills law office

Detroit Office

Penobscot Building
645 Griswold St.

Suite 2200
Detroit, MI 48226



Detroit law office

Phone Number

248-973-7842
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
Review The Firm

© 2025 Lisa D. Stern • All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Business Development Solutions by FindLaw

Review The Firm