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The 12 Days of Adoption Gratitude: Day 5 – My Adoption Attorney

“This a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.” – Maya Angelou

As a woman who chose adoption after facing an unplanned pregnancy and single motherhood for an additional six months, I find myself grateful for those who walked with me through the adoption process. To this day, I remember my adoption attorney fondly. He was an older gentleman who specialized in tough open adoption cases in which the birth father contested the adoption. My adoption agency respected him, and he had successfully facilitated many adoptions.

Considering adoption? I highly recommend an adoption attorney be hired as soon as possible. Don’t forget to thank him or her for all they do for you along the way. I will be forever grateful to my adoption attorney for ensuring a successful open adoption for my son, his parents, and myself.

What is an Adoption Attorney?

An attorney who chooses to facilitate voluntary adoptions will know the laws in your state regarding the termination of parental rights and another family adopting a child. The first step in the adoption process, after making the decision, includes finding an adoption attorney along with an adoption specialist to help guide a prospective birth mother through the adoption process. State laws regarding adoption will include what financial assistance a prospective birth mother can receive, how a birth father is to be legally handled and communicated with, court preceding requirements, relinquishment guidelines, etc. Since adoption law is so specific, and varies from state to state, it is crucial that a woman considering adoption consult with an attorney as soon as possible.

What My Adoption Team Helped Me Conquer

My son’s birth father decided to contest the adoption, which I knew he would do. My adoption professional, the agency’s adoption director, and myself held a meeting to create a legal plan to ensure success. Of course, without my adoption attorney leading the charge, we would not have known what steps we needed to take for the adoption to proceed. This is just one example of the many mountains we had to climb throughout the legal process in my adoption. If it weren’t for my adoption attorney and my team of adoption professionals, I don’t know that my adoption would have been successful.

Contact an Adoption Attorney Swiftly

If you are a woman considering adoption, please contact an adoption professional who can help guide you through the adoption process. If you are looking for an adoption agency, feel free to call American Adoptions 24/7 at 1-800-ADOPTION. They can refer you to a trusted adoption attorney who will protect your legal interests throughout the process.

While the legal adoption process seems scary, it is made easier with a great team of adoption professionals, especially an adoption attorney. One of the greatest experiences I had throughout the legal side of my adoption process was the finalization hearing. A finalization hearing is when the adoptive parents come to officially and legally finalize the adoption process.

My adoption attorney came into my life during the hardest experience I will ever face. He was able to ensure that my dream became a reality. I wanted my son to have a better life through different parents, and my adoption attorney was able to bring that desire to fruition. No matter how large or small a contribution to your life may seem, please do not overlook the blessing of having a wise and knowledgeable adoption attorney. I will never be able to repay the gratitude I have for those who helped me through my adoption process, including my adoption attorney.

This is the eighth post in a 12-part series on gratitude in adoption. Stay tuned for more.

~Lindsay Arielle

Lindsay is a guest blogger for Considering Adoption. She placed her son for adoption seven years ago and hopes to use her experience to support and educate other expectant mothers considering adoption, as well as adoptive families.