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Our process
Two processes, back to back.
First we establish that we can help you and agree in writing what it costs. Only then does the adoption work itself begin. You will always know which stage you are in, and you will never be asked to pay for something that has not been described to you first.
Part one · Getting started
Five stages before any adoption work begins.
This part exists to establish two things: that we are able to act for you, and that you know exactly what you are buying before you pay for it. Nothing is charged until stage four, and nothing is charged at all if we cannot help.
Preliminary application
You complete the preliminary adoption application. It asks about your household, your employment, what you are hoping for, where you have got to with a home study, and a short set of yes-or-no screening questions. It takes most people around 5 minutes.
There is no fee to apply, and applying does not create an attorney–client relationship. If you would rather just ask questions first, a consultation is free and always will be.
Preliminary review
An attorney — not an intake clerk — reads your application, runs a conflicts check, and works out which route under California law actually fits your situation. You receive one of three answers in writing: more information needed, not a matter we can take, or cleared to proceed.
Written fee disclosure and engagement terms
Before you are asked for a penny, you receive in writing: the name of the fee, the amount, who receives it, precisely what work it pays for, whether it is refundable, whether it is credited against later fees, and a plain statement of what it does not guarantee. Our disclosure is published openly on the fee disclosure page — you can read it right now, before you apply.
Initial Adoption Services Fee
The first point at which money changes hands. The $500 buys defined legal work ending in a written Preliminary Adoption Assessment: which route applies, whether you appear to meet the statutory requirements, who must consent or be notified, a realistic timeline, a full cost estimate and a document roadmap — plus a meeting with the attorney to go through it. If you engage us for the adoption, it is credited back in full.
Payment is taken on our processor’s own secure page. We never ask for card or bank details by email, by telephone, or through any form on this website.
Engagement agreement signed
You and the firm sign a written engagement agreement setting out the scope, the fee, what is billed separately, and how and when you will hear from us. This is the moment the attorney–client relationship begins. Everything before it is preliminary; everything after it is privileged.
Part two · Once we are engaged
The adoption itself, stage by stage.
From here on you are a client, the file is privileged, and the work is case-specific. These stages run in this order for almost every adoption we handle.
Home study and documentation
The paperwork stage, and the one that stalls most files. We give you a single checklist and keep it current: background and child abuse registry checks, fingerprints, medical letters, financial statements, references, marriage or divorce certificates, and the home study itself. We liaise with your home study provider directly.
Not every adoption requires a full home study — stepparent and some kinship adoptions may be exempt or abbreviated in California.
Consent, surrender or termination
The legal heart of the matter. A child can only be adopted once the existing legal parents’ rights have ended — by valid consent, by voluntary surrender, or by a court order terminating them. California governs who must consent, when a consent may be signed, how it must be witnessed, and whether and for how long it can be revoked (30 days from signing, after which the consent becomes permanent — unless the birth parent signs a waiver of that right before an agency representative, or before a judicial officer or adoption service provider while represented by independent counsel, in which case it is final at once (Cal. Fam. Code § 8814.5). In an agency adoption, a relinquishment becomes final 10 business days after the Department of Social Services receives it (Cal. Fam. Code § 8700)). We also search the putative father registry and give notice to anyone entitled to it.
The petition
We file the petition for adoption in the correct court, with the supporting affidavits, consents, home study, background checks, accounting of expenses and proposed decree. Service and notice are completed and proved. Where the placement crosses state lines, the ICPC packet goes to both states and the child cannot travel until both approve.
Post-placement supervision
In most non-stepparent adoptions, a social worker visits the home at least three times over the months before finalisation and files a report recommending the adoption. We track these and make sure the reports reach the court on time.
The hearing, the decree and everything after
The hearing is usually short, warm and photographed. The judge signs the decree and the child is legally yours, permanently, everywhere. Afterwards we apply for the amended birth certificate, order certified copies for school, passport and benefits, and give you a closing pack with everything in one place.
Do not forget: updating your will and beneficiary designations, adding the child to health insurance within the enrolment window, social security records, and the federal adoption tax credit.
Your checklist
What we will need from you.
Gathering these early is the single biggest thing you can do to shorten your timeline. Exact requirements vary by adoption type and by court.
Identity & status
- Government photo identification
- Birth certificates for all applicants
- Marriage certificate, if applicable
- Divorce decrees or death certificates for prior marriages
- Proof of residence
The child
- Birth certificate
- Social security number, if issued
- Existing custody, guardianship or agency orders
- Medical and immunisation records
- Tribal enrolment information, if any
Suitability
- Criminal background and child abuse registry clearances
- Fingerprint appointments
- Physician’s letters
- Three to five written references
- Home study report
Financial
- Recent pay statements and tax returns
- Proof of health insurance
- Accounting of expenses paid on behalf of an expectant parent
- Subsidy or adoption assistance agreement, for foster care adoptions
Communication
How we keep you informed.
Scheduled updates
A written status update every 14 days while your matter is active, even when the answer is ‘still waiting on the agency’.
A shared checklist
You can see at any time exactly which documents are received, which are outstanding and who is chasing them.
A direct line
The attorney handling your file, not a switchboard. Calls returned within 24 business hours on business days.
Secure exchange
Sensitive documents move through an encrypted portal, never as plain email attachments.
Next step
Talk it through with someone who does this every day.
Consultations are confidential and there is no obligation to hire us. Bring your questions, your paperwork and your timeline — we will tell you plainly what the process looks like, what it is likely to cost and how long it should take.