[winc_mama]

Hi! I've got a question for you BTDT mommies! We've got one more post-placement visit before we're ready to finalize DS's adoption, but we're trying to think ahead and start thinking about hiring our attorney. The adoption agency gave us one recommendation, but that attorney is located two hours away and I'd feel more comfortable with somebody local if at all possible.

A friend of mine has recommended a local family attorney who also specializes in adoption law, and I'd like to speak with him this week. Besides what his hourly rates are, what other (adoption-related) questions should I be asking? I've never needed a lawyer before, so this is all pretty new for me.

TIA!

[HBV]

Ask them to walk you, step by step, through the process so that you'll know what to expect. Ask if they charge hourly or with a "project rate", ask what kind of retainer they require, how many finalizations they've done. If the TPRS are done and you have met all of your state's requirements, the finalization is the easy part of this.

You can look on Martindale Hubbell, which is a nationwide directory of attorneys, to find attorneys in your area that practice in adoption. You want to look for an AV rating. There's another directory of just adoption attorneys (American Academy of Adoption Attorneys??) so you can maybe cross check what you find on Martindale w/ that.