Legal Guardianship and Adoption Are Different Did you know that about 135,000 children are adopted in the United States each year? Legal guardianship and adoption are very different, one being temporary and the other being permanent. Many people confuse these two arrangements since they do have some similarities. As a New Jersey adoption attorney, we […]

What if the Birth Mother Wants to Keep the Baby? Only about 6% of birth mothers change their minds about adoption. However, if the birth mother does suddenly decide she wants to keep the child and there is a contested adoption, the adoptive parents should immediately retain a New Jersey adoption lawyer. It is fair […]

One of the most common questions adoption lawyers hear is “how long will it take to adopt a child?” On average, most families complete their adoption in 18 months or less. However, the type of adoption you pick will have a huge impact on the overall timeline. How Long Does a Domestic Private Adoption Take? […]

Parents who are considering adopting a child who has certain types of needs may be able to qualify for various state adoption assistance programs. In New Jersey alone, there were nearly 1,100 adoptions in 2011, which means that qualifying for an assistance program isn’t always simple and straightforward. Before you begin the adoption process, you […]

Your Guide to Private Domestic Adoption Costs If you are one of the 20,000 families doing a private domestic adoption this year, there are many expenses to consider. Understanding the costs associated with a private adoption can help the process go a lot more smoothly. Agency Fee Many private domestic adoptions are done through an […]

Adoption Law: Should You Enter Into Contracts With Birth Parents? In the not too distant past, most adoptions were closed, and many surrendered children never learned their birth parents’ identities. But times have changed, and today, nearly 70% of adoptions are “open.” Keeping communication lines open can be fulfilling for all involved, but things tend […]

How Do You Go About Adopting an Extended Family Member? In 2011, more than 1,000 children were placed in New Jersey with extended family members. The Main Goal The Department of Children and Families strives for the reunification of parents and children, but if this isn’t possible, the children will be designated as “legally free […]

It is well-established that children can have happy lives with both heterosexual and same-sex parents, so we are discovering that suitable homes for kids include many different types of combinations. The fact is that same-sex couples are more likely to have adopted children in their homes than heterosexual couples. In 2019, same-sex couples were four […]

Each year, roughly 20 million people in the United States take time off from work through the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The guidelines that have been promulgated under this federal law are designed to help ensure that you can take off work to prepare, for example, for a new addition to your family, […]

Breaking Down the Adoption Tax Credit for 2020 Tax Returns Although you can’t legally get out of paying taxes, you can qualify for tax credits that reduce your total tax load. For the 2020 tax year, the IRS allows adoptive parents to deduct qualified adoption expenses of up to $14,300 per child. Rather than passing […]