Training Course Syllabus:

A Practical Walkthrough for Adoption Law Practitioners and Beginners

This course offers a streamlined review of the adoption process from start to finish. Whether you're just getting into this area of practice or are looking for a refresher, our faculty will help you clarify procedure and manage all the parties involved. Simplify the process with our sample forms and checklists, and anticipate any roadblocks or conflicts. Register today!

• Get a walkthrough of the adoption process from start to finish, including the roles and rights of all the parties involved.
• Use our sample letters, forms, and checklists to keep each adoption case on track.
• Mediate and draft enforceable post-adoption contact agreements.
• Find out how the role of the birth father differs in child adoption vs. surrogacy.
• Identify key grounds for dispensing with consent.
• Answer your clients' questions about adoption tax credits, birth mother expenses, and other financial aspects of adoption.
• Get the latest on ART and learn to draft better donor contracts.
• Uphold the highest standards of the legal profession – explore common ethical dilemmas of adoption practice.

1. KEY RULES AND FIRST STEPS
   9:00 - 9:55, Jason R. Scott
   1. Qualifications of the Adopting Parent and Adopted Child
   2. Types of Adoptions and Their Procedural Steps (Foster, Single Parent, Relative, Step-Parent, Gay/Lesbian, Adult Adoption, etc.)
   3. Interstate Adoptions/ICPC (Interstate Compact on Placement of Children)
   4. International Adoption (Hague/Working with the Adoption Agency)
   5. Required and Recommended Notices
   6. Forms to Fill Out and Documents to Obtain
   7. Timeline and Deadlines
   8. Filing the Petition: What to Include
   9. Post-Adoption Contact Agreements - Family Code § 8616.5
   10. Pre-Placement Assessment – When is it Required?
2. BIO PARENTS AND CONSENT PROCEDURES
   9:55 - 10:35, Jason R. Scott
   1. Consent vs. Relinquishment of Rights, and Implications of Each
   2. Consent/Relinquishment of Rights Procedure
   3. Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights
   4. Absent/Deceased Birth Parent(s)
   5. Drafting Post-Adoption Contact Agreements
   6. Putative Father Rights and Registry
   7. Deployed Bio Fathers' Consent under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
3. FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF ADOPTIONS
   10:50 - 11:40, Sheri E. Cohen
   1. Medicaid
   2. Group Insurance Coverage under OBRA 1987
   3. Birth Mother Expenses – Penal Code §§ 273 & 181
   4. Adoption Tax Credits
      1. Tax Credit for Adopting a Child with Special Needs
      2. Tax Credit for Adoption of a Child without Special Needs
      “Refundable” vs. “Non-Refundable” Credit
   5. Adoption Assistance
   6. Reimbursement for Non-Recurring Expenses
   7. Social Security
4. FINALIZING THE ADOPTION AND POST-PLACEMENT FOLLOW-UP
   11:40 - 12:30, Sheri E. Cohen
   1. Final Hearing Request and the Documents It Must Contain
   2. When must the Adopting Parents Appear, and When May Their Appearance at the Hearing be Waived?
   3. At the Final Hearing
   4. Protecting the Record
   5. Disrupted Adoptions
5. CONTESTED ADOPTIONS
   1:30 - 2:20, Douglas R. Donnelly
   1. Right to Counsel for Parents
   2. Consolidation of Adoption Paternity Cases
   3. Legal Grounds for Dispensing with Consent
      1. Standard and Burden of Proof
      2. Abandonment (Family Code § 7822)
      3. Failure to Support in Stepparent Adoptions (Family Code § 8604)
      4. Felony Record of Parent (Family Code § 7825)
      5. Child in Guardianship for 2 Years (Probate Code § 1516.5)
      6. Uniform Parentage Act (Family Code §§ 7662 & 7664)
      7. Parental Unfitness and Child's Best Interest
      8. Dispensing with Guardian's Consent
   4. Custody Determination when Adoption is Dismissed
   5. Time Period for Challenging Adoption Decree
6. LEGAL ETHICS
   2:35 - 3:35, Douglas R. Donnelly
   1. Competence and Compassion
   2. Confidentiality
   3. Reasonable Fees
   4. Legal Ethics and Non-Attorney Intermediaries
7. ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY ISSUES
   3:35 - 4:05, Sheri E. Cohen
   1. Consent/Notice/Relinquishment of Rights Procedure
   2. Pre-Birth Meetings and Procedures
   3. Other Surrogacy Adoption Considerations
   4. Donor Contracts: Drafting and Contesting
   5. Birth Parent Counseling (Grief, Loss, Attachment)
   6. Cutting-Edge Legal Issues in ART
8. ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act)
   4:05 - 4:30, Panel Discussion

Seminar Summary:

This course offers a streamlined review of the adoption process from start to finish. (see full course description)

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