Adoptions – A Decision Born From Love

Our office understands that the decision to adopt a child is both exciting and a little overwhelming when you do not know where to start. Our office has over 20 years of experience handling every aspect of adoptions. We have represented adoptive parents, birth parents, children, and agencies at both the trial court level as well as the appellate court level in both domestic (Missouri) and international adoptions. We understand how to complete an adoption from the beginning to the end and we take the extra steps necessary to try and assure that your adoption is as legally sound as possible and not subject to being overturned by a higher court.

Becoming pregnant may be medically dangerous or impossible which makes adoption a beautiful and loving choice for them. Unfortunately, it may seem difficult to know how to begin. To simplify matters, think of adoptions in this way – agency adoptions which involve a state child welfare agency placing a child for adoption and private adoptions which include either placement by a parent privately or placement by a private domestic or international agency; and step-parent adoptions.

As a birth parent, choosing to free your child for adoption is a loving and beautiful choice. Many parents fear the label of “bad parent” if they place their child for adoption when it may be the most selfless act of love that a parent can ever make. As a proud adoptee I simply want to help children achieve the life that they so richly deserve.

Our office handles:

• Private placement adoptions – birth parents place their child directly with the adoptive parents
• Private Agency adoptions
• State Foster Care Agency adoptions (such as Missouri Children’s Division)
• International adoptions (including requests for recognition of foreign adoptions)
• Step-parent adoptions
• Adult adoptions
• Single Parent Adoptions
• Same-Sex Adoptions
• Heterosexual, unmarried adoptions

Check out our other pages for more information about adoptions

Meet with several attorneys until you find one that you are comfortable with because it is necessary for the attorney to not only know the laws surrounding adoptions but to know what each court may specifically require. Although Missouri law is the same from court to court, how the Judge prefers to handle an adoption differs from court to court. Some courts may require that every birth parent be appointed an attorney, even in cases where the birth parents are consenting, where other courts may be satisfied by the presentation of a notarized and signed consent executed by the birth parents.  Some courts will accept home studies compiled by any qualified home study provider whereas other courts will have a list of approved providers.  Choosing an attorney who does not know both the laws of the state and the procedures of a specific court could lead to unnecessary delay and, in some extreme cases, the adoption being dismissed.