Family Forum / Parenting / Adoption / June 2007

First let me give you some background-

My wife and I live in N.C. and have been working with an adoption
agency for a few months now. We've just completed our home study and
expect the finished report to be finished over the next 2 weeks. Up
until recently we have been focused on domestic, in-state adoption of
a newborn.

Last week a friend informed us that the daughter of one of her friends
is pregnant with her 2nd child with a due date in early August. She
cannot afford to raise this child and has decided to place this child
up for adoption. The friends talked and we were brought into the
conversation. BTW- the birth mother and family live in Texas.

We were given the names of a few adoption attorneys here in NC and
they informed us that we should work with a TX attorney. We were given
4 names and yesterday we contacted the first. This agency requires a
retainer of $6,500 which would need to be replenished if the amount
dipped below 25%. If the adoption were to fall through we would be
reimbursed any unused retainer.

As far as interstate adoptions are concerned this seems to be a pretty
straightforward situation. Do the fees seem reasonable? The paperwork
they sent to us states that they do not deal with collection of any
medical records. Is that standard?

I have more questions but I thought this would be a good start.

Thanks in advance,

John