Florida Attorneys Guiding Prospective Adoptive Parents
While adopting a child can be an exciting and emotional process, the proceedings often present potentially complex legal hurdles that require the attention of an experienced adoption lawyer. Whether you have already located a birth mother, or need assistance finding a birth mother, the assistance of a knowledgeable and compassionate attorney can aid greatly in working through the process as quickly and smoothly as possible.
As highly experienced, Christian adoption professionals, totally dedicated to adoptions, we realize that adoption is a unique process with significant spiritual, legal, emotional, and practical ramifications. We offer compassionate and experienced professional service.
At the Adoption Center, with offices across Northwest Florida, our attorneys have more than 60 years of combined legal experience guiding prospective adoptive parents through the adoption process. Contact our office online or call toll free at 866-585-8977.
Helping Adoptive Parents in All Types of Adoptions
We represent and assist adoptive parents in all types of adoptions, from the initial free telephone consultation or e-mail through finalization of the adoption. Our fees are usually lower than those of non-profit adoption agencies.
- Non-Relative/Private Intermediary Adoptions: The majority of our adoptions involve placing newborn infants with adoptive parents who have no blood relationship to the child. These are called non-relative placements, or intermediary adoptions. Our goal is to avoid foster care and place every newborn directly from the hospital into a loving and secure two-parent home.
- Interstate Adoptions: We process adoptions for Florida adoptive parents wanting to adopt a child who is born or residing in a different state. We also handle adoptions for out-of-state residents desiring to adopt a Florida child.
- Stepparent & Relative Adoptions: These include adoptions of stepchildren, grandchildren and other relatives, and usually involve children who already have a warm, loving bond with the adopting stepparent or relative(s). The adoption gives formal legal status to the emotional bond that already exists. It also provides the child with a secure, permanent home and certain legal protections and financial benefits.
- Foster Child Adoptions: These cases involve the adoption of children in the Florida foster care system. We assist foster parents in adopting foster children who have been placed in their home. We also assist birth parents who want to have their child immediately removed from the state foster care system and privately adopted by a relative or other adoptive family selected by the child's birth parents.
- Adult Adoptions: In these adoptions the person being adopted is an adult.
- Foreign Adoptions: We assist adoptive parents who have already adopted a child in a foreign country by re-finalizing or domesticating the foreign adoption in Florida, and obtaining a new birth certificate issued by the State of Florida.
- Adoption Home Studies: We are affiliated with the New Hope Adoption Agency, a Florida licensed non-profit adoption agency, which performs domestic and foreign adoption home studies.
Robison "Rob" Harrell, our founding attorney, is an adoptive father. With 25 years of adoption experience, he is a member of the prestigious American Academy of Adoption Attorneys; is the current president, and a director, of the Florida Adoption Council; and is the current president of the Florida Association of Adoption Lawyers.
Alice H. Murray, with 23 years of adoption experience as an adoption attorney, is also an officer and director of the Florida Adoption Council.
Sallie Y. Norris, is our third attorney, who has a degree in social work and more than 12 years of adoption experience.
We are passionately dedicated to the practice of adoption law. For every client, we take the time to fully explore and understand your situation and your goals. We then work diligently to finalize your adoption as quickly, smoothly, and efficiently as possible. We love making adoption miracles happen. Contact our office online or call toll free at 866-585-8977 to schedule a free consultation.
