Though bringing a child into your life can be a joyous event, the actual adoption process can be confusing, if not stressful. The first stage of this process is having a meeting with an adoption attorney. It is useful to prepare yourself for the meeting with a local adoption lawyer with a number of questions, since this person will play a significant role in your life. To make sure that you are making the right decision with who you hire, try asking the following questions.
What are your qualifications?
Your initial consultation is the right time to ascertain the qualifications of your Birmingham adoption attorney, and to get a sense of whether they will be the best advocate for you. Having an experienced attorney can save you a lot of time, money, and stress. They will understand your legal rights, and how to prevent problems and to preserve your best interests should something go awry. Find out how long they have been practicing in the adoption field, how many non-relative adoptions they have worked on and completed, and what percentage of their practice is devoted to adoption. These are all fair questions, and the best way to determine their qualifications. 
Which types of adoptions do you handle?
There a number of different adoptions, including open, confidential, international, domestic, same-sex, and foster parent, and each one has different requirements for completion. You should find out if the attorney has experience with these scenarios, especially the type of adoption you are considering.
Additionally, you may also want to find out if they work with birth mothers, with the prospective adoptive family, or both. Ask if they work with non-relative adoptions and relative adoptions. You should also find out if the adoption lawyer in Jefferson County has worked on contested adoptions, or if they take on more non-contested adoptions.
What services do you provide?
Some adoption attorneys take on the role of matchmaker, pairing prospective families with their child, and performing all of the legal work. Other adoption attorneys will only handle the legalities of the adoption. So not all adoption services are the same, and for your sake you should know for certain what your lawyer can do for you, and that they can provide the services that are particular to your needs.
What problems, if any, could we encounter?
Not that you should expect things to go awry, but in the event that a roadblock to your adoption comes up, ask your attorney what you may want to expect. If they are good at their job, they should know how to anticipate potential problems.
Your concern here isn’t self-sabotaging, or indeed, unwarranted. A given problem that the attorney may cite is not necessarily going to happen to you. It is not “expecting the worst to come,” rather, it is being well informed of possible actions. An issue could be as minor as a small delay in the adoption process.
Attorney Steven A. Harris regularly blogs in the areas of family law, bankruptcy, probate, and real estate closings on this website. Mr. Harris tries to provide informative information to the public in easily digestible formats. Hopefully you enjoyed this article and feel free to supply feedback. We appreciate our readers & love to hear from you!