As an adoption lawyer, you will be able to help unwanted children find a home with a loving family. Adoption lawyers guide prospective parents through the maze of forms, regulations and legal matters. It will be a long process to finally become an adoption lawyer, but the efforts you put into it will be worth it when you unite a child with parents who can provide him or her with a stable home.
Instructions
1. Have an interest in children and their welfare. If you want to spend your professional career in family law court defending the rights of children and parents with respect to adoption, you should have a keen interest in the welfare of children. As an adoption lawyer you will have to deal with many issues such as government red tape, adoption forms and parental fitness, not to mention the emotional stress. The work is not all negative; you'll experience a feeling of accomplishment and joy when you have helped a child get adopted.
2. Attend college and major in liberal arts/humanities. You undergraduate studies should feature as many liberal arts courses as possible so you have the broadest understanding of human issues. Sociology, psychology or child studies can be helpful. Also, you can take pre-law courses to prepare you for the rigors of practicing law.
3. Attend an American Bar Association--certified law school. These law schools offer a broad cross-section of courses that will prepare you for a career in family law in general and adoption law in particular. Family Law courses offered by a law school such as Rutgers School of Law include: child and family advocacy, courtroom procedures, and dispute resolution and professional responsibility. These courses, along with many others, are required for graduation.
4. Volunteer with non-profits that specialize in family and child welfare services. During your time in law school or after you have graduated you should take an opportunity to work with an adoption agency or family welfare organization so you will get firsthand knowledge of the issues you will face when you begin your work as an adoption lawyer. Adoption Options or Adoption Avenues are just two of the many non-profit adoption agencies you can contact to see if they need assistance.
5. Find government internship possibilities during law school summers. Government agencies such as the Customs and Immigration Service offer internship opportunities that you can take advantage of. The USCIS is responsible for processing immigration forms and you should be knowledgeable of the process for international adoptions.
6. Graduate from law school and apply for positions with non-profit adoption agencies like American Adoptions or with a family law firm. Don't wait until the last minute! There are career-counseling services you can take advantage of during law school and in your last year your resume should be polished and include internships or volunteer positions that you can highlight during an interview.
7. Take the bar exam. After you pass the bar exam you may want to open you own law firm. This will be difficult as a brand new lawyer, so you will probably have more luck working for a family law firm for a few years before you decide to go out on your own.
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