Although bringing a child into your life can be a blissful occasion, the process can be confusing and stressful. The primary phase of this process is to meet with an adoption attorney. But when you meet with them, it is important to know what questions to ask and what to pay attention to to ensure your process with that lawyer goes as smoothly as possible.
Your first meeting is the ideal opportunity to determine the capabilities of your adoption lawyer in Montgomery or wherever you live. Not only do you need to ensure they know what they are talking about, but you also need to get along with them and make sure they are a good fit for you. This attorney will be partnering with you and your family for months and you want someone who you feel comfortable talking to and trust. This way you don’t end up blaming the attorney when something goes wrong or there is an issue but instead can work with the lawyer to get through such obstacles. However, making sure they are competent and know the local rules can avoid such hiccups as well.
There are various types of adoptions such as open, secret, international, same sex, stepparent, and many other types of situations where an adoption is filed. It would be ideal to ensure that the adoption lawyer has handled the precise type of case you are inquiring about at least once before in the local court you will be filing in. That way, you can be sure they have some experience with that court and their local rules in this regard.
Some adoption lawyers assume the job of going between the families and coordinating the adoption from the biological parents to the new parents or a birth mother to the adoptees. Other lawyers just file the paperwork and rely on you to handle the dealings with other parties yourself.
The retainer you pay can depend on how much work you are wanting the adoption attorney to do. If you are wanting them to be a go-between, then this will likely be a higher retainer than if they are just filing the pleadings and other such paperwork, going to court, and other specifically legal matters.
It is sometimes possible for you to be anxious and stressed out about filing an adoption petition. Your anxiety here is entirely unjustifiable. One factor you should look for in your adoption attorney is someone that can calm you down and instill in you a sense of confidence that the process will go smoothly. Just remember to ensure they are not new to the practice of adoptions as well, since they could be acting like everything is fine while really messing things up.
Most family law attorneys have handled simple adoptions like stepparent and blood relative adoptions. However, when obtaining an adoption attorney for international adoptions or adoptions where the biological parents are around and going to object, you will need someone that is experienced specifically in those types of situations and can fight for you and your family.
