How an Adoption Attorney Can Help

More kids are adopted in the United States than in any other country in the world, and if you’re considering adoption, then you’ll need assistance from a PA adoption attorney. By working with a lawyer, you’ll have an easier time making your way through the state and federal adoption regulations. An attorney will also help you fill out the mountains of paperwork you’ll be facing and file them with the right departments at the right time.

Adoption Is a Complex Legal Situation

From beginning to end, the adoption process is managed by a set of laws and regulations. There are state and federal laws for those who want to adopt and prospective birth mothers. With regulations comes paperwork, which can be overwhelming.

While this sounds like, and is, a lot of work, it’s not up to you to do it. When you hire an adoption attorney, he or she will handle the complex legal situations that your adoption agency may not have the ability to handle.

Along with overseeing the legal aspects of adoption that occurs through an agency, adoption lawyers also handle ones that happen outside of an agency. These types of adoptions are called independent adoptions. There are pros and cons to working with an adoption lawyer solely instead of both a lawyer and an agency.

The Pros and Cons of Working With an Adoption Lawyer

Officially, an adoption lawyer is a legal practitioner who specializes in family law and adoption. An adoption law firm would consist of two or more lawyers who practice in this area of the law. Some firms have just one attorney who specializes in it. In adoption law, attorneys handle situations that range from stepparent adoptions to independent ones. Most lawyers handle the legal part of any adoption, but they don’t pair possible birth parents to their clients. This makes them a better professional provider for relative, identified and stepparent adoptions.

Occasionally, an adoption lawyer may locate birth mothers or adoptive parents and facilitate the communication, living expenses and financial arrangements between them. However, these are services that are usually provided by an adoption agency. This part of the process is where an adoption attorney may not have as much experience.

The pros of working solely with an adoption lawyer include:

• Access to critical legal services. A major benefit of going with an adoption firm is that your adoption will be handled solidly and safely, increasing the security of the adoption. You’ll mainly notice this benefit when you’re dealing with the legal side of the adoption. Plan to hire an adoption lawyer for this part of the adoption even if you’re using an agency to facilitate the process.

• The authority to process identified adoptions. If a person already has a birth mother from whom he or she wants to adopt, like a family member or friend who is pregnant and doesn’t want to keep the baby, then this is an identified adoption. In this case, the only professional needed to complete the adoption process is an adoption attorney. Going this route is more affordable.

The downsides to working solely with an adoption lawyer include:

• Fewer leads. If you aren’t already undergoing the adoption process, then undertaking it with an adoption lawyer without an agency may delay when you receive a child. Adoption agencies are set up to pair prospective parents with birth mothers who don’t want, or are unable to, care for the children they’re carrying.

• Variable costs. The total amount that you’ll spend to adopt a child may fluctuate based on the law firm. Some bill hourly, which means that you may not be able to budget the cost.

Getting the Help You Need

When it comes to legal situations, it’s always best to hire a PA adoption attorney to make sure that everything is handled properly. If you’re considering adoption, then contact us at Cofsky & Zeidman in Philadelphia, PA, at (215) 563-2150. You can reach our Haddonfield, NJ, office at (865) 429-5005 or Woodbury, NJ, office at (856) 845-2555. We’re prepared to help you with your adoption.