You will need to make an appointment with someone knows the process and how to draft the report. We will be happy to supply you with referrals from trusted colleagues from all over the country and right here in Louisiana.

We define “open adoption” like this– anything that is not closed! Seriously, a closed adoption is where the parents and adoptive parents agree not to have any future contact and do not know much about one another. An open adoption is everything else! It could mean limited contact, like periodic cards, pictures, letters, etc. to a lot of contact throughout the year at school functions, holidays, birthday parties. What is acceptable depends on the people involved and what each wants and is comfortable with. On Point Legal will work with you and the birth parents to determine what is best [...]

Financial and emotional. Adoption comes with great responsibility and risk, but it can also be a great reward. If the birth mother changes her mind and decides not to place the baby with you, you may not receive reimbursement of the funds donated to the birth mother. The emotional risk is also that the birth mother may change her mind. Adoptive families often form a bond with birth mothers and enjoy the idea of future contact.

The amount of time you have to wait before being matched can vary. It can take about three to six months to have complete home study. But once you are matched, and the child is born – you have to wait at least one year from the date the child is placed with you before we can file with the court asking to finalize the adoption. This is due to a legally required waiting period that is part of the vetting process to help ensure the placement is healthy. When a child is closely related to the adoptive parent (or [...]

The birth mother gets 1st Dibs. As the then-legal parent, she has the right to choose her child’s first and middle name. She may also defer to the adoptive parents and allow them to choose the child’s first and middle name or the parents can mutually agree on a name. The child’s last name is required to be mother’s maiden name, if she is not married, or the name of the father, if she is married or agrees to have the father claim his paternity and add his name to the birth certificate. The child’s legal name will be the [...]

Unfortunately, adoption plans do fail from time to time. The birth mother can change her mind before or the after birth of the child. After birth, the mother has to wait five days before she can sign her surrender. The surrender will be irrevocable after she signs it. From our experience adoption plans fail because the father or a family member promises to help her rear and support the child; the mother believes that the child will help her stay connected to or in a relationship the child’s father; or often, mothers fear they will be forgotten or that they [...]

Todd’s unscientific statistics are that on average, 20% of mothers decide to parent.

Generally, no, though we understand the hurt emotions for those who may feel like they want to. Only in very egregious circumstances, like cases of fraud, may legal action be considered. OPL has been faced with these decisions before and has taken legal action in two incidents. We try to avoid these kinds of situations at all cost.