agency v. lawyer options

[WaturMama]

We are just starting out here. I thought I was starting to get my mind around the options and just discovered (or was reminded) that sometimes people adopt through a lawyer. I was just settling into the idea that domestic adoption via a private agency would be a good fit for our family. We seem to have a good one nearby that many folks have recommended. I talked to someone there on the phone last week and liked her. I signed us up for an orientation.

The lawyer notion appealed to me because it looked like it might be more personal service. But I also think lawyer and I think mega bucks. Not that the agency is cheap, but this federal tax refund thing is nice.

Anyway, I'd love to hear about the pros and cons of agency v. lawyer.

[SundayCrepes]

In our state there is only one agency that will work with non-religious/Christian families and we had a lot of problems with them so we did private. That meant we had to find our own baby. I spent a lot of time networking and advertising. Frankly, our speedy road to a baby is pretty atypical. We were certified (by an agency that does not do matches) on May 8. We went live on parentprofiles on June 17 (didn't get any responses from them, but we put the link to our profile in all our advertising.) On August 5 I mailed letters to obstetricians around our state. On Aug. 10 we got a call about a just born baby who is a totally awesome soul.

Very rarely have I heard those fast results, but they can happen.

You have to decide how much work you're willing to put into the search. It's all about advertising and putting yourself out there.

Our adoption was MUCH cheaper than if we'd gone through an agency. About $8,000 including advertising and $1,000 we were allowed to give the birthmom. We got it all back on our taxes in 2 years. If we hadn't gotten a baby so fast, our advertising expenses would have gone up. That's the real expense in private adoption. Or at least can be. I don't know how much other attorneys charge.

[WaturMama]

Thanks so much, SundayCrepes. Wow, what a story! So the $8,000 included both the advertising and the lawyer's fee--do I understand that correctly?

[SundayCrepes]

Yes. But I've heard other lawyers are much more expensive (ours was $2,500.) And advertising in newspapers is HUGELY expensive. I had a hospital social worker say that a large number of adoptions on their ward were matched via newspaper. We only did a few weeks of one paper because of the cost (and then we got our baby so there was no need to do more.)

[WaturMama]

Thanks so much! Even though you had an unusual situation that gives me some perspective on both the lawyers and the ads. And I love your happy story.