Top Best Adoption Lawyers | 3859 Available

Being adopted myself, I am passionate about adoption and family formation. I am continually grateful for the honor to work with families and children and to use the law to support and advocate for them.. I love living out my dream of practicing law and uniting and supporting families through adoption and children’s law. My mother explained to me at a very early age that I was adopted and what a beautiful gift that was. She explained that my birth mother had made the ultimate, loving, and sacrificial gift for me by choosing to give me life and family. And in doing so, she also gave my mom, dad and brother a cherished gift by giving them a daughter and a sister. I grew up feeling loved by my adoptive parents and loved by the birth family that so lovingly sacrificed for me. I love working with birth mothers and adoptive parents who all have the best interest of the child in mind.

Kelly Dempsey is recognized both domestically and internationally for her commitment to defending the interests of vulnerable children in the U.S. and around the world. Kelly has used her personal and professional experience to promote positive change in the laws that govern child welfare, and helped countless families come together. Her work was featured in the award-winning 2013 documentary Stuck, which follows the lives of four children from three different countries as they complete their individual journeys from orphanages in their home countries to their adoptive families in the United States. She has an impressive and varied background including working as an inhouse attorney for a large international corporation and a litigator at a large full-service law firm. Kelly has testified before Congress, tried cases to a verdict before juries, and helped hundreds of clients around the world with their immigration and adoption needs. She is the proud mother to four children, one of whom was adopted from Vietnam and another adopted domestically. She treats every case as if it were her own and is a committed and zealous advocate for her clients.

I am a family law attorney, committed to my clients and our community.  Our firm, Pratt & Grisham, is a leader in the practice of family law in Southwest Missouri.  I maintain a trial practice in family law that focuses on divorces, complex property and maintenance cases, modification, paternity actions, adoptions and guardianships. In addition to my trial practice, I maintain a practice in appellate cases related to family law matters.. In 2013, I was presented with the Up and Coming Award by the Missouri Lawyers Weekly. This award is given annually to lawyers demonstrating excellence in the legal profession and in their commitment to their communities. It recognizes lawyers with an extraordinary commitment to justice, service to the legal profession and exceptional volunteerism.  In 2017, I was awarded the Springfield Business Journals 40 Under 40 award.. I am an active member of the Missouri Bar and the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association (SMBA). I have served as the Chair of the SMBA Family Committee and currently serve on the Missouri Bar Family Law Committee. I am also the Chair of the Missouri Bar Family Law Planning Committee for the annual Family Law Conference. The Family Law Conference is the Missouri Bar’s second largest annual continuing legal education conference.. I also serve as a frequent lecturer on a wide-range of family law topics for local and state-wide organizations. I have served on Guardian Ad Litem training committee for the Missouri Bar and traveled state-wide to speak at Guardian Ad Litem training conferences.. In addition to my legal service, I maintain an active service to the community both locally and world-wide. I curently volunteer with the Pregnancy Care Center. Also, I serve on the board of Ipour Life.  Our family also travels to Ethiopia annually with various organizations to serve alongside medical teams in their missions work.

For over 25 years, Attorney Mary Catherine Barrett has specialized exclusively in surrogacy and adoption law. Mary Catherine provides compassionate, confidential assistance to young women looking to place their child for adoption, as well as families seeking to adopt domestically. In addition, she has assisted in the complicated process of international adoption with countries including Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Morocco, and India. Her training in surrogacy law began in California in 1992 working with Noel Keane, the “father of surrogate parenting.” She then returned to Ohio to start private practice. She is an Adjunct Professor of Surrogacy and Adoption Law at Case Western Reserve School of Law. She has successfully assisted in over 650 domestic adoption arrangements. In addition, she has established parental rights for intended parents through surrogacy arrangements in over 10 counties in Ohio where it was a case of first impression. Mary Catherine is a frequent presenter speaking on topics including private placement adoptions, international adoptions, ovum donor legislation, and legality and enforceability of surrogate parenting contracts. Other speaking engagements have included presentations to high schools throughout Ohio, hospitals, churches and support groups. She welcomes the opportunity to educate and inform the community about myths and realities associated with adoption and surrogacy. Mary Catherine has published articles utilized by the Ohio State Bar Association and local bar associations. Her non-profit involvement has mirrored her law practice, focusing on providing aid and assistance to children in Russian and Brazilian orphanages, coordinating gifts to mothers and children in community shelters, and transporting foreign children for adoption. Mary Catherine Barrett’s professional associations and memberships include American Society of Reproductive Medicine, Ohio Bar Association, Cuyahoga County Bar Association, COSE and Playhouse Square. Mary Catherine welcomes your questions and encourages you to contact her to discuss your surrogacy and adoption needs.

Experienced Adoption attorney serving clients in United States and surrounding areas.

Ms. Powell has been practicing solely in the area of family law for twenty years. By limiting her practice exclusively to family law, she has become well versed and knowledgeable in all aspects of domestic relations litigation. She has litigated or settled cases involving complex issues of equitable distribution including tracing of separate property interests, valuation of businesses, retirement issues and significant financial investments and portfolios.. Ms. Powell has represented clients in alimony and child support cases on all income levels. She has had substantial courtroom experience in successfully defending against, and advocating for, imputation of income to a party for support purposes and deviations from child support guidelines for such factors as a child's special needs or private school costs. She also has litigated or settled child custody cases, involving diverse issues such as the admissibility of expert testimony of custody evaluators, substance abuse issues, domestic violence and relocation of a parent.. Ms. Powell was recognized for her experience and trial skills in the Washingtonian Magazine in 2009 as one of the top family law practitioners in the Metropolitan D.C. area. She recognizes the emotional and financial benefits to her clients of resolving cases, if possible, without the necessity of going to court. Her primary goal is to settle cases through the negotiation process, which can include mediation, whenever possible. However, she is confident in her trial skills if her cases end up in court. Through the course of her representation, Ms. Powell's clients can be assured that she will be a strong, knowledgeable and well-prepared advocate for their interests.. Ms. Powell is in Best Lawyers since 2013 and in SuperLawyers for 2013 and 2014. She is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell.. Ms. Powell is also President of the Board of Dirctors for the Falls-Church McLean Children's Center.

Chuck Szurszewski has been practicing family law in the Olympia area since 1978. His experience includes managing the Olympia Division of Child Support and heading up the Thurston County Prosecutor's Office Child Support Section. Chuck has been with our firm since 1987, representing individuals in dissolution, modification, custody and child support cases. He is an experienced mediator as well as a litigator. He has served as a court-appointed guardian ad litem in over 200 cases. He has been a member of the Family Law Executive Committee for ten years and was the chair in 2014. He served  on the governor's task force on child support.   He has the highest rating on Martindale Hubbell and AVVO. He has been a presenter at continuing educations every year for the last ten years. He has been designated as a SuperLawyer for multiple years and served for many years  as a pro tem judge/commisioneer  in Thurston County.

I am a former Rhode Island Special Assistant Attorney General from 1993-1997. During those years I prosecuted hundreds of criminal cases ranging from disorderly conduct to first degree murder in every Rhode Island County. Additionally, along with other prosecutors, I lectured in-coming police academy cadets on proper drunk driving and Rhode Island DUI investigations and prosecutions. This unique experience has allowed me a wealth of knowledge not readily available to the average Rhode Island DUI lawyer or criminal defense attorney. Since 1997 I have been applying all that I learned as a prosecutor in order to better benefit my private clients as a criminal defense lawyer.. As a RI Criminal Defense Lawyer i represent topics such as DUI, Breathalyzer Refusal, Domestic Assault and Battery, Disorderly Conduct, Drug Crimes such as Marijuana Possession, Distribution, and more.. Most importantly, when you hire my firm to represent you, I am the attorney reviewing or overseeing your case and typically appearing in court with you. I am in court just about every day, and I strongly believe that each client deserves this personal service. My office provides free consultations, and I am available 24 hours a day for emergencies. My firm provides aggressive, personal representation and we look forward to hearing from you soon. Hablamos Espanol.. Contact RI Attorney Macktaz Now for a FREE Consultation Call

Estate Planning for the Whole FamilyWe work with families of all kinds; those who are married or single, with a traditional family or a blended one, and those who are just starting out or looking at a life well-lived.. I graduated with honors from the University of Washington School of Law in 1980. After working in the legal field for 28+ years, I took a 10-year break before returning to law in 2022.. So, I AM BACK! I am rebuilding what I started with the benefit of my life experience and the resources of the Personal Family Lawyer program. The programs systems create an efficiency that allows me to focus on what I like best: getting to know our clients so we can create comprehensive customized plans for them.. I am the proud mother of Megan and Alec and grandmother of Jameson and triplets; McKinley, Jaden and Jaxson.. Because of my grandparenting experience, I am especially interested in working with grandparents – who want to protect themselves, their wonderful adult children, and their adored grandchildren.. A former client who wants to work with me again, says: “Thank you for coming back to help those of us who love your wonderful help with our futures and how we want t leave things for our loved ones. You are the best! Thank you, Melanie D.”.. We start by scheduling a Wealth Planning Session (which usually lasts 2 hours). Once scheduled, we send a Life and Legacy Inventory and Assessment to be completed as best you can before the Wealth Planning Session. We also ask for copies of all Deeds, financial statements evidencing your ownership of bank accounts, investment accounts, retirement accounts, and annuities, as well as stocks or bond certificates. In addition, we need copies of any LLC or Partnership Agreements and your previous estate planning documents. At that session, I make recommendations regarding a customized estate plan and the corresponding flat fee; half of which is paid upfront and the balance paid at the completion of the estate plan. (Because we don’t bill hourly for estate planning, there are no surprises.) The signing of the documents usually takes place 4 weeks after the planning session.. After completion and implementation of the estate plan, we offer free 3-year review sessions to determine if there is a need for a change in your estate plan. (The client is responsible for scheduling those 3-year reviews).. We also offer plans by which we provide life and legacy planning to family members, such as adult children, parents and grandparents.

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." …Nelson Mandela. Tamera focuses on Adoption Law, Juvenile Law, Child Advocacy and Indian Child Welfare Act (“ICWA”) matters. She has dedicated her entire legal career to championing children’s interests in the foster care system, having been the “voice” for thousands of abused and neglected children. Tamera has legally assisted in creating thousands of “forever families” through representation of Foster Families, Blended Families, Relatives, Private Couples, Same-Sex Couples, LGBTQ families and Birth Mothers.. Tamera has served as an Associate Justice for the White Mountain Apache Tribe Court of Appeals (three-year term); served as a Judge Pro Tem for the Maricopa County Superior Court (three years); is a member of the Arizona State Bar, Juvenile Law and Indian Law Sections; the National Native American Bar Association (NNABA); the Native American Bar Association of Arizona (NABA-AZ); National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA); and National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC). Tamera serves as a founding member on the National Adoption Day Planning Committee for Pinal County. Tamera is on the Advisory Council and is Chair-Emeritus for the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation (AFFCF) after serving as a Director for 20 years, Board Chair for three years, and 18 years as the Scholarship Program Chair for AFFCF. Since its inception in 2012, Tamera has served as a Community Advisor on the Fostering Advocates Arizona (formerly Arizona Youth Opportunities Initiative). She served on the State of Arizona’s Foster Care Review Board from 1993-1996. Publications include: A Citizen’s Guide to Fact Finding and Action in the Juvenile Justice System, Children’s Action Alliance/Juvenile Justice Project, Arizona, contributor, 1995; Financial Services in the European Market of 1992, American Bar Association, Section of International Law and Practice, 1989 Spring Meeting, Washington, D.C.; Europe 1992: Obstacles & Opportunities for United States Business, Utah Business Magazine, August 1989. Tamera (Arapaho) was one of the founding directors of the Inter-Tribal, Native American Communications Council, established in 1993. Tamera worked directly with Senator Ted Kennedy on the drafting of the “Torture Victims Protection Act.”. Tamera is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center (1994) in Washington D.C., where she served as the Senior Editor on the Law Center’s Legal Journal: Law & Policy in International Business. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California (1984) where she majored in International Relations. Tamera is admitted to practice in state, federal and Tribal courts in Arizona: Hopi, Pascua Yaqui, Gila River Indian Community, and Tohono O’odham Tribal Courts; and admitted before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.

I have practiced law since 1979.  I have been working at Milavetz Gallop and Milavetz since 1987.  I have practiced extensively in the Minnesota Court of Appeals and i  have successfully argued  several published cases, including In Re Custoy of A.V.A. involving grandparents seeking custody of their young grandchild when her parents were killed in a tragic car/truck accident.  I am also a Referee of Conciliation Court in Hennepin County. I am the Vice-Chair of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon of Chanhassen Minnesota.  I was a plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court Case of Milavetz, Gallop and Milavetz P.A v. The United States. Our firm challenged portions of the Bankruptcy Reform Act on First Amendment grounds. Our case narrowed portions of this act to allow attorney the right to advise our clients.  I have been a Super Lawyer in Minnesota every year but 2005.. My son Eddie was a US Marine from 2006-2010.  I am very active in Veteran Causes and in my community of Chanhassen.. In 2018 I spoke at the American Association for Justice Winter Conference on Third Party/Grandparent Custody Rights in a Wrongful Death, and in 2019 I spoke at the American Association for Justice Winter Conference on Exempting Personal Injury Settlements during Bankruptcy.. I have two wonderful grandchildren and enjoy spending time with them.  Grandparents' rights is one of my favorite areas of practice!  I also have a substitue teaching license.. I belong to the Minnesota Bar Association, the Hennepin County Bar Assocation and the Eighth District Bar Association.. I supervise bankruptcy for my law firm.

Experienced Adoption attorney serving clients in United States and surrounding areas.

I have been involved in education for 40 years, beginning as a special education teacher. We are the only education law firm in Arizona that has attorneys with both classroom and courtroom experience, and a parent if a young adult with special needs. We are passionate about our work. We frequently present on special education law to parents, educators, advocates and attorneys. Our firm as a statewide practice.

We are a family law firm in Northern Kentucky. We exist to help people. We help people who are going through a tough situation -- divorce, separation, custody and parenting time issues. We help people who are joyously expanding their families through adoption. We help people plan their asset distribution in the event of death or divorce through drafting thoughtful and tailored prenuptial agreements and wills. We help those who make a conscious choice not to litigate their divorce process through Collaborative Divorce. We help people who are accused of crimes.. Her practice, based in Northern Kentucky, is focused on divorce as well as all aspects of family law, including paternity, custody, adoption, and child support. Ms. Schaffner has represented individuals in all aspects of family law. Ms. Schaffner has litigated significant cases through the appeals process, resulting in changes to Kentucky law affecting families. Early in her career, Ms. Schaffner successfully litigated civil and criminal matters from traffic tickets to murder jury trials, before choosing to focus solely on family law.

Since 1996, Kevin Adaniya has dedicated himself to helping individuals and families in Hawaii with their family law issues.  He is a practical, effective and affordable family law attorney.

We strive to offer large firm quality at small firm rates.  Each of the attorneys at the Law Office of Steven J. Kim has practiced and excelled in large firm environments, and we have corresponding experience to handle matters of every level of complexity.  We make every effort to ensure that your case progresses expeditously and efficiently.. We know how important your case is, and we work hard to be sure you understand your legal rights and entitlements.  We know that our work is directly tied to the welfare or your children, your family, and your future finances.  We work hard for you today, so you can focus on your future.

I have lived in Appleton, Wisconsin my entire life other than attending college in Madison and law school in Chicago.  I started my own law practice within the first year of graduating from law school, and continue to work with my same partners at our law firm Hammett,  Bellin & Oswald, LLC.  I am proud of the quality of individuals representing our law firm and am happy that we have helped so many people over the years.. I am an active member of our community and serve in many different ways.  I have been active on various Boards including as Treasurer of the Boys & Girls Club, President of Rebuilding Together-Fox Valley, and member of Emerging Leaders of the United Way.  I am also active in our local parish and enjoy coaching youth basketball.. My wife, Chris, and I presently reside in Appleton with our three children.

Experienced Adoption attorney serving clients in United States and surrounding areas.