Adoption Law
What We Do
Experienced Advocacy for Your Adoption Journey
Adoption is about more than just completing paperwork—it’s about creating lasting families. While the adoption process can be complex, we are committed to guiding you every step of the way. From paperwork to home studies, we immerse ourselves in every detail to ensure your adoption is successful and meaningful.
Helping children find loving, forever homes is one of the most rewarding aspects of our practice. With over 50 years of combined experience in family law and adoption, Mary Greenwood McDermott and Karen A. Howe have assisted hundreds of families in Florida and beyond, facilitating seamless adoptions with compassion and care.
Whether you are a birth mother seeking a loving family for your child or an adoptive parent ready to welcome a new member, our team provides thorough background checks and careful screening, ensuring everyone’s rights are respected and the match is right. Our work ensures that both birth mothers and adopting families feel secure and supported throughout the process.
Let us help make your adoption journey a success. Contact our adoption lawyer today to learn more or schedule a consultation:
(813) 653-1744.
We take a comprehensive approach to adoption that goes far beyond the legal groundwork. We believe in supporting families throughout every stage of the adoption process. Our team adopts a “social worker” approach, guiding families through emotional, psychological, and relational aspects of adoption. For most of our domestic private adoptions, we emphasize open or semi-open arrangements, facilitating introductions between birth mothers and adopting families. We also ensure that all parties have access to a network of counselors who can help navigate the unique feelings and relationships that arise throughout the adoption journey.
On behalf of our clients, we handle everything necessary to ensure a smooth adoption process. This includes conducting thorough background checks, monitoring the birth mother’s medical condition (including random drug screenings, if required), and assisting pregnant women in accessing vital services such as Medicaid, and other state and federal resources for proper obstetric care.
When it comes to international adoption, we provide the expert guidance necessary to navigate complex legal and cultural obstacles. Our team works closely with reputable international adoption agencies, helping you clear consular hurdles with foreign governments and assisting with travel arrangements if necessary. We also take steps to gather any available medical records and family history, ensuring that your new child’s background is as clear as possible.
Once you return to Florida with your new family member, we will help complete all the necessary legal steps to officially recognize the foreign adoption. This includes handling any required name changes, making the adoption process as smooth and seamless as possible when bringing your child home.
Adoption is a deeply personal, which is why we offer extensive support in interstate adoptions. Our team works to bring birth mothers and adoptive families together, ensuring that every child is placed in a loving, caring home. Throughout this process, we have access to valuable resources to assist birth mothers, including support with living expenses, skills training, medical assistance, and counseling.
Our team is dedicated to more than just the “placement” of children; we are committed to the well-being and future of both mother and child. We go the extra mile to ensure that health, safety, and care are prioritized in every adoption situation.
Please note that while we do not conduct home studies, we collaborate with trusted agencies and licensed professionals who will complete thorough home studies of adoptive parents, ensuring that every placement is done with the utmost care and professionalism.
In cases where a stepparent or grandparent is seeking to formalize their relationship with a child, we offer dedicated legal support to make that process as smooth as possible. Whether through obtaining consent from the biological parent or initiating termination of parental rights in cases of abandonment, we work tirelessly to ensure the best interests of the child are at the forefront.
Attorney Mary Greenwood McDermott has extensive experience in relative parental custody actions, having participated in over 750 cases involving placements with grandparents or other family members. These cases often lead to family adoptions, solidifying the bond between children and their extended family members.