While
adopting a child is a journey full of anticipation and joy, the legal process
of adoption can cause stress and confusion during this happy time. A reputable
and experienced attorney or adoption facilitator can alleviate undue anxiety,
make sure necessary paperwork is handled properly, and guide prospective
adoption parents through the legal process of adoption. While parents working
with a state agency or private adoption agency generally do not hire private
attorneys, those who desire private adoptions, relative adoptions, or
step-child adoptions usually require legal assistance. Some ways of finding
experienced adoption attorneys are:
- Parents Who Have Adopted
Previously:
Parents who have already gone through a private adoption are one of the best
resources for finding quality legal assistance. Compiling a list of attorneys
with whom other adoptive parents have had positive experiences is a good way to
begin finding an attorney you will be comfortable with.
- Online Adoptive Parent Groups: Online networks of adoptive
parents are easy to find with a quick internet search, and most parents are
more than happy to help other prospective adoptive parents find legal
assistance in their area. This is particularly true of international adoption
groups, where parents often seek a "re-adoption" of the child in the United
States through a private attorney, even though the adoption was formalized in a
foreign country.
- The American Academy of Adoption
Attorneys: Adoption
is a specialized area of law with strict paperwork requirements and should not
be entrusted to an attorney with little or no experience in the adoption
process. The American Academy of Adoption Attorneys maintains a database of
attorneys who specialize in adoption in each state.
- Social Workers: Social workers are often in
court with private adoption attorneys, and are in one of the best positions to
recommend attorneys who are especially adept in the adoption process.
Frequently, social workers in the local public guardian's office maintain a
list of adoption attorneys to whom they refer prospective adoptive parents.
- State and Local Bar Associations: Most bar associations maintain
referral lists of attorneys to whom they regularly refer cases in specialized
areas. Many attorneys referred by bar associations offer free initial
consultations or work on a sliding scale depending on the prospective client's
income.
In addition to
private attorneys, several states allow "adoption facilitators" to become
involved in the adoption process. Adoption facilitators are individuals, who
are neither associated with an adoption agency or private attorneys, who
participate in matching birth parents and adoptive parents, and who may play a
role in the adoption process. Currently, only California and Pennsylvania allow
adoption facilitators to charge for their services. Adoptive parents should be
careful when working with an adoption facilitator, as the improper use of a
paid adoption facilitator could make it more difficult to finalize an adoption.