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Originally Posted by bethy724
In my adoption case MY lawyer drew up the papers.
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Same here. That is what the adoption attorney is for. It doesn't sound as if yours did anything to earn a fee--if he didn't file the petition and orders, he shouldn't be paid for doing nothing. If he didn't even know what was in the orders, he ought to be guilty of malpractice.
Frankly, I'm not convinced such an order is even legal. It interferes with your parental rights and is essentially an order to endanger the baby. I think it is what lawyers call "an undue burden." An adoption is not a custody arrangement. It is a legal birth. No one can order you to associate a birthchild with a particular person who is not their legal parent or, in some states, grandparent. Therefore it makes no sense to me that such a condition can be written into an adoption order or that it would be enforceable.
It is unfortunate that the order does not specifically say the word "grandparents" because those people are not, legally, grandparents anymore.
It is unfortunate that you agreed to this condition by not objecting to it in court. You could have. Still, since it endangers the child, I am not sure that you will ultimately be bound by it. Adoption is not a "deal" in the way a custody arrangement is.
There is a big difference between being willing to try contact and being ordered to have contact whether or not, in your best judgment as a parent, it is in the best interest of the child or even a safe situation for the child.
If I were you, I would find another lawyer asap who can get you out of this pickle. It could be you can simply ignore that part of the order and wait and see if grandmother challenges you--but ask a lawyer about that first and have the lawyer ready in the wings if she does. If it were me, I'd want to get it thrown out as soon as possible to eliminate having that cloud over my head, but there may be more prudent ways to go. A GOOD lawyer--NOT the one you have now, that is not a good lawyer--will be able to guide you.
I hope it all resolves well and you have a safe and healthy life with your child.