Some states allow attorneys to handle the adoption from start to finish. In other states, the attorney's role is strictly a legal one of drafting legal documents and representing you in court. Since adoption law is highly specialized and very complicated, you must be careful to hire someone who knows what he or she is doing. The attorney's experience handling adoptions like yours is critical. Also, the attorney should be sensitive to the psychological factors in adoption, and he or she should have good common sense.
Some adoptive parents prefer to hire an attorney who is also an adoptive parent.
Having gone through the experience themselves, they tend to be more empathetic with their clients. Your attorney's reputation is important. Representation by a disreputable attorney can hurt you. Having an honest, ethical, experienced attorney can facilitate the process in court just because the judge trusts the lawyer. Some of the best attorney referrals come from new adoptive parents.