Adoption Laws

Adoption Laws Vary State to State, County to County

The legal process is often one of the most intimidating, yet important, factors of an adoption. Just as every adoption story is unique and varies, so does adoption law. Adoption laws can vary from state to state, and often from county to county. This is why it is important to utilize a lawyer with specialized adoption experience.

While some families have an attorney friend, or a personal lawyer that they would like to use to finalize their adoption, it is not recommended that they use a lawyer unfamiliar with adoption procedures or law. Seeking advice from an attorney not familiar with the intricacies of adoption law can often lead to delays or complications when finalizing the adoption. At the Kelley Law Firm, our first priority is to ensure that each adoption is legally secure, making the adoption process as seamless and smooth as possible.

When selecting an adoption lawyer, consider the following:

• Because the laws governing an adoption are typically those of the state in which the baby is born, adoptive families pursuing an interstate adoption should not seek the advice of a lawyer from their home state. Often times, attorneys unfamiliar with adoption law, or other state's adoption laws, will not have the knowledge or expertise to provide correct legal advice. In many adoptions, an attorney is not needed in the adoptive family's state because no legal proceedings will take place there, therefore an adoptive family's state laws will have little or no effect on their adoption.
• Adoptive families often seek advice from lawyers with little, or no, adoption experience, such as those who practice family law, those who have been involved in just a few agency adoptions or those who have performed a limited number of public state adoptions. Unfortunately, these lawyers oftentimes do not have the expertise needed to provide correct advice for cross-state adoptions. Adoption procedures vary not only from state to state, but also from county to county. The legal practice in adoption is never as easy as simply following the state statute. Each court system looks for and requires different things. Less qualified private adoption attorneys often cause serious delays in terminating parental rights and finalizing the adoption. Most overturned adoptions are the result of slow or incompetent legal work.

Just as physicians specialize in specific types of medicine, attorneys specialize in certain types of legal matters. It is the focus of the Kelley Law Firm to provide adoptive families with sound legal advice and legally secure adoptions. While the adoption process can often be a long, bumpy road, it is important to ensure that all legal requirements are satisfied to ensure a successful adoption. The importance of utilizing an attorney with the proper adoption knowledge should not be overlooked when completing an adoption journey.