Adoption Legal Answers

New Orleans Child Welfare Division served me with notice that they want to cut off my parental rights to my son and adopt him out to his foster family. He went into foster care when I got jailtime for a felony assault charge. I’m out now and I want to reestablish my relationship with him. Child welfare says I’ve been away from him too long and he’s attached to the foster family. I want to object to this adoption and get back into my son’s life. What rights do I have in this adoption process and do I need a lawyer to represent me? I only have a certain amount of time to respond to this paperwork so I need to find a lawyer quickly.

My spouse and I have had two foster sons for almost 2 years now. They both have ADHD and some other emotional problems. They are on medication and also get regular counseling. Department of Social Services is pushing us to adopt and we want to but we are afraid of not being able to afford their medical costs after the adoption is finalized. The Social Worker assigned to our case from Baltimore DSS has said we may qualify for an ‘adoption subsidy,’ but she says she can’t give us legal advice and we should talk over the financial ramifications with a lawyer. Are there lawyers who specialize in this kind of work and how do we find a reputable one?