Christopher can help you through the adoption process and see that you have the care and resources necessary for making a successful adoption plan.
Christopher represents adoptive parents looking to adopt, birth parents seeking the right home for their child, and stepparents, as well as any other person or entity involved in the adoption process.
With more than 30 years as an attorney, Christopher knows the legal and practical issues of adoption. As he has been involved in almost every conceivable type of adoption matter, you can feel confident that you are represented by an attorney who will help you attain a secure, legal adoption.
Christopher graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1989 and the Wayne State University College of Law in 1993. He is a member of the Florida State Bar, the Alabama State Bar, the United States District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Florida, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He and his family live in Pensacola, Florida.
Birth Mothers & Birth Parents
Please let us help you during this important time. Making an adoption plan for your child is one of the most important life choices you will ever make. We can not only help you through the adoption process but will also see that you have the care and resources necessary for making a successful adoption plan. We have helped women with adoption for more than 25 years, and we are available to answer your questions and help you with your unique situation.
Adoption is a legal process that allows a child to become a member of a new family. Adoption is a way you can provide a good home for your child and make certain your child has the love and life opportunities you feel are important. Providing a child for adoption is one of the most heroic, selfless things any human can do. Please allow us to help you during this important time of your life.
Stepparent / Intrafamily Adoptions
Wonderful families are created through stepparent and intrafamily adoptions. We can help when you want to adopt your spouse’s or partner’s child, or other family member.
When the non-custodial parent consents to the adoption, it can be an inexpensive and streamlined process. More complicated situations require careful evaluation before proceeding. It is important to consider the practical, legal, and emotional aspects of a stepparent adoption before taking the first steps. We can help you decide if it’s right to proceed with a stepparent or intrafamily adoption. We can initiate contact with the non-custodial parent on your behalf and handle nearly all other aspects of the process.
Stepparent adoptions do not require an extensive home study process because one of the child’s parents will retain his or her parental rights. Uncontested stepparent and intrafamily adoptions can often be completed in three to four months.
Private Agency & International Adoptions
Adopting through a licensed adoption agency can be a wonderful experience. If you have chosen an agency, we can guide you through the legal process. We provide an unbiased explanation of agency adoption procedures and help develop a legally secure plan tailored to your individual needs.
We can review and negotiate adoption agency contracts to ensure your interests are served. We can clarify your options for post-placement arrangements with birth parents and draft or review an agreement to ensure your interests, and the child’s interests, are protected. We will finalize your agency adoption in a timely and secure manner. Many agency adoptions can be finalized for an affordable flat fee.
Most international adoptions are handled through adoption agencies that have contacts in the foreign country. We can finalize your international adoption. If your adoption is finalized in the child’s country of origin, we can also process a Florida or Alabama re-adoption and obtain a Florida or Alabama Birth Certificate.
Private/Domestic Adoptions
The majority of adoptions in the United States are private adoptions. A private adoption occurs when a birth parent places their child directly with an adoptive family without any involvement or interference by the Department of Children and Family Services or an adoption agency. Under Florida law, a birth parent may choose any family to adopt their child as long as the family has a favorable home study.
We help birth parents looking for the right family to adopt their child. A birth parent can choose the home environment they want for their child. Our office handles the legal, practical, and financial aspects of the adoption process. All costs of the adoption are paid by the adoptive family. Many private adoptions may include a pre-planned adoption agreement, which is approved by the court and may provide for the payment of the birth parent’s living expenses during the pregnancy and pictures and letter updates until the adopted child reaches adulthood.
We represent adoptive parents in Florida, Alabama, and throughout the United States who have a favorable home study and are ready to become parents. We can help in the process of obtaining a home study, preparing a portfolio to be shown to prospective birth parents, and developing a plan to find the child who is right for their family. We have over 25 years of experience in handling private adoptions. We are experienced with the Indian Child Welfare Act and between residents of different states when adoptions involve the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.
We advise adoptive parents on the legalities of all adoption-related expenses. This includes payment for pregnancy-related living expenses, counseling, and medical and legal costs. When necessary, we provide an accounting to the court of all costs associated with the adoption. We also provide documentation for our clients to aid them in applying for the Federal Adoption Tax Credit.
Adult Adoptions
Florida and Alabama law allow one adult to adopt another through the court system. The legal process is streamlined and quicker than that involving the adoption of children. An adult adoption only requires the consent of the person adopting and the person who is being adopted. Generally, you are not required to notify the adoptee’s birth parents or other relatives. A new birth certificate will be issued reflecting the status of the adopting adult as the parent of the adult adoptee.
There are several circumstances where an adult adoption is appropriate. The most common is when an adult was raised by a stepparent or other relative and now – as an adult – wants to become their legal child. Adult adoption is also appropriate in circumstances where a person experienced trauma in their family of origin or when a person wants to confirm inheritance rights for another adult. We are happy to discuss all aspects of an adult adoption so that you may decide if it is right for you.
Surrogacy
Surrogacy occurs when a woman becomes pregnant to carry a child for the intended parents. A traditional surrogate uses her egg and the intended father’s sperm. A woman is called a gestational surrogate when she becomes pregnant using a donor egg fertilized outside her womb. The family receiving the child is called the intended parents.
We provide professional, personalized service to clients who are either intended parents or surrogates. We work with reputable clinics and medical professionals to help our clients with the match and transfer process. We also assist intended parents and surrogates who locate each other outside our office or clinic with the legal and practical aspects of the process.
Before beginning medical procedures, the intended parents and surrogate will enter into a contract with each other setting out each party’s obligations toward their mutual goal of achieving pregnancy, birth, and legal parenthood. The surrogacy contract will cover such issues as surrogate compensation, health and life insurance, non-covered medical expenses, medical screening, psychological evaluations, and attorney fees.
We will help you during the contract creation process and the subsequent legal process required to establish the intended parent’s legal relationship with the child.
Legal Costs & Fees
We welcome the opportunity to talk with you about your adoption. We do not charge for answering your initial questions (by phone or in person) to determine if it is appropriate for us to work together. If we decide to work together, we will schedule additional time for a complete consultation and enter into an attorney fee agreement.
Most adoptions can be finalized on a flat fee basis. However, as an alternative, private, stepparent, adult, and complicated agency adoptions may also be billed under a traditional hourly fee agreement. That way, you pay only for the time spent on your case. In this case, we bill on a monthly or quarterly basis. Your invoice will include an itemization of work performed, an accounting of trust account activity, and a breakdown of costs.
Court filing fees, home study fees, birth parent pregnancy-related living expenses, and attorney costs are billed to the client.