Finding a Lawyer

Just as there are specialists in medicine, there are specialists in law. Some lawyers practice exclusively or primarily in family law. The need for a specialist will vary with the case. If you are dealing with complex issues of property or custody, it is probably best to seek a lawyer with substantial experience in family law. If you want to adopt a child to whom you are not related, it is best to work with a lawyer with significant experience in the area, particularly if the adoption involves a child from another country or if the adoption is arranged privately rather than through an agency.

If you are adopting a child that is already in the family and no one is contesting the adoption, the procedure is more routine and could probably be handled by a non-specialist. For example, if an aunt and uncle were adopting a nephew following death of the parents, or if a stepfather were adopting his stepchild without opposition from the biological father, the adoption should be quick and simple. (It might even be done by the adoptive parents themselves without need of an attorney.)