Georgia Private Adoption Attorney

For adoptive parents that already have a “match” with biological parents, private adoptions are the most commonly used adoption process to transfer parental rights from the biological parents to the adoptive parents. On the other hand, adoption agencies help adoptive parents find a match and complete the adoption paperwork and legal requirements. Adoption agencies, sometimes called child-placement agencies, help connect biological parents with prospective adoptive parents. An agency adoption will have specific procedures that differ from the independent adoption between two private parties.

In private/independent adoptions, the adoptive parents have a greater responsibility to understand and carry out the legal requirements for adoption. Unlike agency adoptions (in which the agency takes a highly active role in facilitating the adoption), private adoptions require the adoptive parents to navigate the system on their own. For assistance with any private or independent adoption in Georgia, always contact a lawyer to discuss the adoption process that’s right for you.

It is important to note that private adoptions still require judicial oversight. The judge of a local superior court still has the final authority to issue a decree of adoption—even for private adoptions. Private adoptions also require an independent agent (appointed by the court or a state agency like the Georgia Department of Family & Children Services) to ensure the adoption complies with state law and promotes the wellbeing of the child.