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I am using an attorney, only because the biological father decided to fight it. I was going to do it pro-se. If you're sure that there's not going to be a fight, you can do it yourself. You need to file a complaint for adoption (outlining the reasons and circumstances surrounding the abandonment of the child), to be served upon the opposing party after the judge sets a court date. When you file your complaint for adoption, the court will give you the name of an agency with whom to have your adoption investigation with (home visit). Everything must be done, normally, by 10 days before your court date, which means you've got to be extremely proactive while dealing with the agency (I had to call about 10 times before I could secure an appointment). The investigation cost me about $800 all together, which I thought was good, because I'm a worst-case-scenario person, and I was expecting about $5000. The other party then has 35 days (not 20, as you might hear) in order to file a response with you and the court. Then you wait for your court date for termination of parental rights...
(I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on T.V.)
Good Luck!
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