Top Best Adoption Lawyers | 3858 Available

Rob became licensed to practice law in Illinois in 2009.  Since 2015, he is a Fellow of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. According to their website, members are experts in the complexities of adoption law and the variety of interstate and international regulations surrounding adoption*,  and must maintain their practice according to the highest standards of ethics, competence and professionalism. Rob has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star since 2015, which recognizes no more than 2.5% of lawyers in Illinois. Also in 2015 Leading Lawyers profiled Rob and Drew Parker's law practice as a father-son duo. Rob has been named an Emerging Lawyer by the Leading Lawyers Network, being featured in 2016 as "Peoria's Savvy Adoption and Family Law Counselor." That year he was one of six attorneys in Peoria under 40 to be named to both Super Lawyers’ and Leading Lawyers’ lists.. Rob is involved with the Peoria County Bar Association, chairing and assisting in a number of committees; the American Bar Association; a Barrister in the American Inns of Court; and a licensed DCFS Panel Attorney, which means he handles adoptions of children out of foster care and helps adoptive parents complete state monetary subsidies for those adoption placements.   Rob has handled trials in both federal and state court, and appeals in the Third District Appellate Court. These cases have included many large divorces, contested adoptions, murder appeals and trials, and methamphetamine manufacturing, and international child abduction under the Hague Convention, as well as a nursing home case that reportedly settled for the highest amount in Knox County.. Rob was born and raised in Peoria, where he attended Notre Dame High School. He received his bachelor degree at the University of Illinois in 2005 as a James Scholar, with a major in political science and minors in anthropology and philosophy.  Law school followed at St. Louis University School of Law, where he was on the trial team and served as Vice President of the Student Bar during his second and third years. Prior to graduating there in 2009, he worked at the Missouri Attorney General helping prosecute child sex crimes and the St. Louis Public Defender’s Office defending felony crimes.. (*The Supreme Court of Illinois does not recognize certifications of specialties in the practice of law, and the recognition is not required to practice law in Illinois.)

A former U.S. Marine, Attorney Dan Way knows the importance of attention to detail. His approach to helping his clients achieve their goals is simple yet very effective...he listens closely to gain a clear understanding of what they want, communicates using plain language, answers questions in a straightforward manner and then provides advice and guidance. Dan's clients appreciate that he does not "sugar coat" matters and instead conveys the "positive and negative" aspects of situations so clients can make truly informed decisions. And, he doesn't make promises on the outcome of cases, but he does guarantee that he will do the best that he can to get the desired results. Over the last 24 years, Way Law Offices has provided prompt, professional, efficient and personalized services to clients and families in central Illinois in many areas including all types of adoptions, adult and minor guardianship, wills and powers of attorney, personal injury, motor vehicle accidents and wrongful death cases, real estate matters, workers' compensation, and divorce.

Emily Edwards Bertholl, a native of Avoyelles Parish, attended high school at Marksville Senior High School in Marksville Louisiana, where she graduated in 2009. Emily then graduated from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches with honors, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal justice and Criminology. She attended the Southern University Law Center receiving her Juris Doctorate in 2017. Emily had the pleasure to serve as the Legislative Aide to Senator Sharon Hewitt in the 2017 Legislative Session.. Emily practices in a variety of law fields including personal injury, worker’s compensation, and all areas of family law. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Louisiana Bar Association, as well as, the Avoyelles Parish Bar Association. She is admitted to practice in all Louisiana State Courts.. Emily enjoys her role in the Avoyelles Parish community as a member of the Avoyelles Arts Council, and member of the Chamber of Commerce, participating in a majority of the community events, and being an active participant in her church. Emily is married to Robert Bertholl of St. Landry Parish.

Attorney Sophie N. Barksdale is a native of Monroe, Louisiana. After graduating from Neville High School, Sophie attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe where she received a Bachelor’s Degree of Art in History in May of 2012. As an undergraduate, Sophie was an active leader and member in numerous organizations including Kappa Delta Sorority, Student Government Association, and 31 Ambassadors.. Upon completion of her Bachelor’s degree, Sophie attended Mississippi College School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctorate, a Certificate in Civil Studies, and a Certificate in Pro Bono Work in May of 2015. During her time at MC Law, she was a member of Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, Civil Law Society, Family Law Society, and the Women’s Student Bar Association. Sophie also studied abroad in Berlin, Germany focusing her studies on European Union Law and Global Issues in Corporate Law.. Sophie was given the opportunity her last semester to have an externship with the 19th Judicial District Court of Baton Rouge, Family Court clerking for Judge Charlene Charlet Day. This is when Sophie realized her passion for helping families and children. After returning to Monroe, Sophie began clerking for the 4th Judicial District Court working predominantly on adoptions filed in Ouachita and Morehouse Parish.. Sophie spends her free time helping her community as an active member of the Junior League of Monroe, and she is a strong advocate for animals volunteering as a foster parent for PAWS of Northeast Louisiana and Out of the Shelter Rescue Group.. Sophie is a family law attorney who focuses primarily on adoptions. She has extensive knowledge and experience working with Agency, Intrafamily, Private, and Foreign Adoptions.

The Mulcahy Law Firm provides exemplary legal services and advocacy while developing the client’s strength in navigating a complex and emotional time in their lives, both in and out of the courtroom. The Mulcahy Law Firm prioritizes communication, transparent billing, and to serve as a resource for clients to achieve both favorable outcomes in court and positive interactions with the opposing party outside of the court system.. Rebecca Mulcahy was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She attended the University of Florida for her undergraduate degree and returned to Albuquerque to attend the University of New Mexico School of Law. Ms. Mulcahy immediately immersed herself in the practice of law where she assisted low-income families in their district court cases through the University’s legal clinic, and completed 80 hours of mediation training. Ms. Mulcahy obtained professional experience before graduation, including one year as a legal researcher for a business law firm and two years as a law clerk in a fast-paced family law firm.. Upon graduating from the University of New Mexico School of Law, Ms. Mulcahy continued to focus her work in family law. She is a highly experienced attorney, having negotiated and litigated cases for families all over the State of New Mexico and is dedicated to providing quality legal service to her New Mexican community. Ms. Mulcahy is dedicated to giving back to her community, which is why 5% of the Firm’s annual net profit is donated to a local charity.. With a husband and multiple family members in the military, Ms. Mulcahy understands that military families face unique and difficult challenges in family law litigation. She is devoted to providing superior legal representation for military families, whether it is balancing child custody with the possibility of deployment, or calculating and achieving proper division of military retirement.

Amy Wallas Fox focuses on family building including surrogacy and adoption. Amy handles a variety of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) matters including representing intended parents, gestational carriers and donors in gestational surrogacy and egg, sperm and embryo donation cases. She also recruits and screens gestational carriers and can help intended parents find appropriate surrogates and medical facilities.. Amy also has extensive experience with all types of adoptions including independent/private, agency, foster care, stepparent, international and adult adoptions. She competently handles interstate adoptions and is familiar with the requirements of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC). She is also able to locate competent counsel to complete the out of state portion of an interstate case. Amy completes domestication of foreign adoption decrees, allowing a foreign-born child to obtain a North Carolina birth certificate.. Amy graduated from Harding University High School in Charlotte, NC, Guilford College in Greensboro, NC and William & Mary School of Law in Williamsburg, VA. During law school she gained experience by working for an adoption/ART attorney, attending specialized adoption training and completing research in surrogacy and adoption. In May 2013 Amy formed Claiborne & Fox, PLLC, a firm with offices in both Charlotte and Atlanta, with attorney Ruth F. Claiborne. Prior to this, Amy practiced for more than four years as associate attorney at Ruth's former firm, a well-known adoption/ART law firm in Atlanta. Amy is licensed in North Carolina and Georgia. In 2015 the firm became Claiborne Fox Bradley, PLLC as attorney Lila Newberry Bradley joined the Georgia office. Amy is a Charlotte, North Carolina native who grew up with law in the family. Her father, Jonathan Wallas, is a widely known civil rights attorney. Amy also writes the popular food blog Amy on Food and enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, movies, staying fit and spending time with her husband and children.

Jennifer graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors degree in history from North Carolina Central University in 2005. She then completed her coursework towards a Masters degree in history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte while holding a graduate assistantship and maintaining a 4.0 grade point average.. Jennifer graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law in 2010 and was admitted to the North Carolina Bar that year. While in school, Jennifer gained hands-on experience through internships in several firms that practiced family law. She also focused her coursework during law school on the study of family law, including a seminar on Children and Domestic Violence in which she paired with the Children's Law Center of Central North Carolina as a guardian ad litem for children whose parents were involved in high-conflict custody cases.. Since graduation, Jennifer has created a diverse family law practice, with particular interest in adoptions, terminations of parental rights, and child custody cases.  Jennifer strives to create a strong but compassionate atmosphere for her clients and treats each of her cases with the respect that her clients deserve.. Jennifer also values working to create a stronger community. She has volunteered with the guardian ad litem program in Forsyth County to advocate for children in abuse, neglect, and dependency situations and has also volunteered with Crisis Control Ministries and Phoenix Rising of Winston-Salem. Jennifer lives in Greensboro with her husband, Chris, and their three dogs.

I have practiced adoption law in Michigan for over 10 years after a long career in maternal child health nursing. During my law practice, I have done all types of adoptions allowed under Michigan law – direct placement adoptions, step-parent adoptions, guardianship adoptions, relative adoptions as well as adult adoptions.. My career as an adoption attorney — and my commitment to families and children — has always been informed by my work in mother-baby nursing. I have both a bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN) from the University of Detroit, Mercy and a Master of Science (MS) degree in Maternal-Child Health from Boston College. I had a long career in nursing which included direct care of mothers and babies in labor and delivery, on the mother-baby unit, as well in the areas of prenatal care and public health. During much of my nursing career, I served as a state nurse consultant working to improve the care to mothers and children throughout the state. One of my proudest accomplishments was to help develop the practice of nurse-midwifery in Michigan.. I believe in knowing my clients and their wishes. I attempt to be available to answer questions and address concerns when I receive calls from them.. It is my plan to be present at the hospital to assist with the temporary placement of the infant for my client, whether birth mother or prospective adoptive parents. One of our famous Michigan snowstorms may prevent me from achieving that goal, but I always plan to be there unless we have made other arrangements.. Education and Licenses

Kimberly M. Surratt, Esq. is a graduate of the University of Nevada and the Golden Gate University, School of Law. She has a license to practice law in both Nevada and California, USA.. Ms. Surratt is a highly respected attorney throughout the United States and Internationally.  She travels around the world to promote and speak on surrogacy and family formation law.  Her practice consists of clients from all of the world including but not limited to:  Israel, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Spain and more.. Ms. Surratt draft and lobbied the current Assisted Reproductive Law in the State of Nevada that includes gender neutral and marital status neutral options for people wanting to be parents throught surrogacy, gestational carrier agreements, egg donations, embryo donations, sperm donations, third party reproduction, guardianships and adoptions.