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I am seeking advice on making a career change into the adoption field. I want a career helping parents find children and helping children find their parents. I would like to facilitate both international and domestic adoptions. Currently, I am a prosecuting attorney licensed to practice law in Virginia, Georgia and Texas. While I understand that adoption law is a component of family law, I am interested in a career that is more than merely preparing and filing the U.S. adoption paperwork after an adoption has been completed. I want a career in the whole process leading up to the final adoption paperwork. I want a career in adoptions from start to finish, from counseling couples on their adoption options, to matching available parents with available children, to guiding them through the maze of laws and regulations, to helping them travel to pick up their child, to completing the process and making the adoption final. My questions are these:

(1) Is there a need or desire on the part of adoption agencies to hire attorneys (who are not licensed social workers) for their staff? I realize that an attorney hired by an agency would not be engaging in the practice of law, but are a J.D. degree and a law license desirable credentials in the adoption field?

(2) If not, what additional education might an attorney need before hiring on with an agency?

I would welcome comments from anyone (attorneys, social workers, adoptive parents, etc.) who may have any guidance for me.

Thank you.