Adoption Tips

Helpful Tips When Preparing for an Adoption
in New Jersey & Pennsylvania

From the Experienced Attorneys at Cofsky & Zeidman, LLC

If you are considering filing for adoption or have already decided to provide a loving home for a child in need, you should pay close attention to the protection of your legal rights. The anticipation and emotion involved in the process can cause you to overlook important matters, and can delay or even defeat your efforts. The Law Office of Cofsky & Zeidman, LLC, can help.

Ways that You Can Protect Yourself throughout the Adoption Process

It is extremely important that you learn as much as you can about the adoption process and about the different options available to you. Here are some specific things to remember:

If you choose to use an adoption agency, use only one that is approved and reputable, and preferably local. Ask for references from other families that have used the agency. You can also ask to see licensing documents.

 

1) Use an attorney who knows and understands adoption law. You can obtain a list of qualified adoption attorneys from the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, at www.adoptionart.org.

 

2) Have your home study completed as soon as possible. There may be unexpected issues that arise and starting early will give you plenty of time to resolve them.

 

3) In a private adoption proceeding in which you are working directly with a birth mother, resist direct requests for money from the mother. Let your Attorney guide you in all financial dealings.

 

4) Make certain that any issues related to the birth father have been fully addressed. Your lawyer or your agency should assist in obtaining a release of all parental rights from the birth father.

 

5) If you are not using an agency to find a child, do not be afraid to tell everyone you know that you are seeking to adopt. You never know where you might be able to find your child.

 

Contact Our Office

At Cofsky & Zeidman, LLC, we have successfully helped more than 1,500 families through the adoption process. Attorney Donald C. Cofsky, Fellow and Immediate Past President of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, has also been named an Angel in Adoption by the Congressional Coalition for Adoption in Washington, D.C. Attorney Cofsky is AV-rated by his colleagues in the legal profession under Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Rating System and has been recognized as a New Jersey Super Lawyer, as well as an Awesome Attorney by South Jersey Magazine and a Top Attorney by SJ Magazine. We handle all types of adoption proceedings, including domestic and international adoptions, agency and private adoptions, stepparent and family adoptions, and open and closed adoptions.

To schedule a confidential meeintg, contact our office online or call us at (856) 429-5005 in Haddonfield, at (856) 845-2555 in Woodbury or in Philadelphia, PA at (215) 563-2150.  Our offices are open weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Weekend and evening appointments may be arranged upon request.

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