Questions To Ask A Prospective Adoption Attorney
Choosing to adopt is one of the most beautiful things a family can do. Opening your home to a child who has gone without one will undoubtedly change their life for the better. While adding a child to your family is a wonderful prospect, there are many laws and regulations that come along with adoption. In order to protect your family, as well as your prospective adoptive child, it is important that you consider hiring an adoption attorney. When it comes to such a personal matter, such as adoption, you will want to make sure that you go above and beyond to choose the adoption attorney that is right for your family. Listed below are four important questions that you must ask your prospective adoption attorney before choosing to hire him or her.
"What is your experience in the field?"
You will want to find out about the attorney's experience in the field. Don't just ask how many years they have been practicing -- instead, find out how long they have been practicing as an attorney in general, how long they have been in the adoption field, how many adoption cases they have worked on, and how many have had desirable outcomes. If the attorney is reputable, he or she should have no problem answering these questions.
"Why did you choose the adoption field?"
While the attorney's personal reasons for choosing the field doesn't necessarily dictate how well they practice, knowing their motivations behind choosing the adoption field may make a difference to you. Working as an adoption attorney can be a lucrative field, so you may want to ensure that you choose an attorney who has other motivators and is passionate about the field for personal reasons, other than just to get a check out of you.
"Do you prefer working on open or closed adoptions?"
Depending on your situation with the birth parents, you need to know if the attorney has any preference in whether he or she would rather work on open or closed adoptions. Ideally, you will find an attorney who is impartial and can work with either situation, but if you and the birth parents have decided on an open adoption, working with an attorney who does not prefer these situations can be detrimental.
"How often will you update me? What kind of communication will we have?"
It's important that you and the attorney are clear about how often you can expect updates and what forms of communication he or she prefers. With adoption being such a personal and sensitive matter, you need to ensure that you are working with an attorney who understands the importance of keeping you updated on a regular basis and is open to frequent communication.
Adoption can be one the best experiences your family will ever encounter, and being knowledgeable when it comes to choosing an attorney can help to prevent any disasters from happening. Doing some research and legwork before choosing an attorney will be one of the best things you do to ensure fairness and a smooth transition for your prospective adoptive child, your family, and the birth family. Make sure that you ask these important questions, as well as any others that you may have, and that you feel one hundred percent comfortable with the attorney before making any final decisions.