To become an adoption attorney in the US, one must complete a four-year degree, take the LSAT, attend law school, pass the bar exam, and gain experience in adoption law through internships or employment with a private firm or state agency. A degree in psychology or social work is recommended.
Lawyers, as a rule, choose one or two areas of law to focus their practice on. Some choose to work in the field of adoptions and therefore become an adoption attorney. Jurisdictions around the world may have different requirements for an attorney aspiring to become an adoption attorney. In the United States, the path to becoming an adoption attorney begins with the required education, followed by licensure and experience in adoption law.
In the United States, an aspiring lawyer must first complete a four-year degree, culminating in receiving a bachelor’s degree. There is no real “pre-law”. A law school applicant can apply with a bachelor’s degree in whatever course he or she has chosen. If, however, a graduate student is certain they plan to become an adoption attorney, an undergraduate degree in psychology or social work are excellent options.
After graduation, a future lawyer must take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and apply to law school. Selection criteria vary; however, most law schools look for a high LSAT score as well as a high grade-school GPA. Once accepted, a student must complete three years of law school, resulting in a doctorate in juris. While studying law, a student planning to become an adoption attorney should look for internships or part-time employment opportunities at the local juvenile or probate court, or at a local agency or law firm that practices adoption law.
After law school, all attorneys must become licensed in the state in which they plan to practice law. In most states, licensure requires successful completion of the bar exam as well as the multi-state professional responsibility exam (MPRE). A character and fitness component is also often part of licensing.
Once licensed, an attorney wishing to practice adoption law must seek employment with a private firm that handles adoptions or with a state agency that facilitates adoption. Adoptions are considered public or private. Public adoptions are not on the public record, but are adoptions of children who are part of the public system, such as foster children. The local family and children’s office, or a similar agency, usually handles a high volume of adoptions each year of children who have been removed from their biological parents and are now available for adoption.
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