Adoptee Rights Law Center

Legal representation and advocacy for adult adopted people

I am NOT an Adoption Attorney

First published on • Last updated on

I am not an adoption attorney. I am an adoptee-rights lawyer. Big difference.

An adoption attorney often, but not always, represents adoptive parents in facilitating and securing adoptions. An adoptee-rights lawyer works to secure civil and legal rights for adult adoptees, whether it is access to an original birth certificate, challenging laws that are used to deny access to identifying or non-identifying information, or working to secure US citizenship for intercountry adult adoptees. Or any other legal issues affecting adult adoptees.

Here are some differences between an adoption attorney and an adoptee-rights lawyer. Consider this my semi-manifesto as well as something to build on:

Adoption attorneys can make a lot of money representing adoptive parents in domestic or intercountry adoptions. Attorney fees may approach $10,000, if not more. Securing adoptions, for some, is a lucrative and financially-driven venture within a vast industry as adoption.

There is little money, if any, for lawyers or advocates who work exclusively for adult adopted people and their rights. The work we do may lead to greater civil and legal rights for adult adoptees. But it will not lead to wealth, nor much money at all.

Adoption attorneys typically represent adoptive parents and say that they address all interests in the adoption “triad,” but often at the expense then or much later of adoptees. While a child’s best interest is paramount in adoption, that interest typically does not extend beyond childhood.

An adoptee-rights lawyer works exclusively for the adoptee and advocates only for an adult adoptee’s rights and interests. There should be no conflict of interest, no balancing of harms. There is only one interest when you are an adoptee-rights lawyer or advocate.

Adoption attorneys dominate the public discourse on adoption and are one of the primary voices in bar association groups on the issue of adoption and, to a much lesser extent, adoptees.

Adoptee-rights lawyers and advocates are often not heard by nor participants in bar association groups that consider, recommend, and advance laws and policies affecting adoptees. That must change.

Don’t get me wrong. I have no doubt there are plenty of fair-minded and ethical adoption attorneys out practicing in the world. It’s just that the interests represented do not often—if ever— align with the lifelong interests of adopted people.

As for me, with the exception of some DACA-related work I do, I represent only adult adopted people. Because.

I am an adoptee-rights lawyer. Why not join me?

About Gregory D. Luce

I am a Minnesota lawyer, born and adopted in the District of Columbia, and the founder of Adoptee Rights Law Center PLLC. I've been practicing law in Minnesota state and federal courts since 1993, and have been the executive director of Adoptees United Inc. since 2021. I also have a sense of humor.

Get Involved with Adoptees United Inc.

Logo of Adoptees United Inc.Did you find this post interesting? Then get involved nationally with Adoptees United Inc., a national tax-exempt non-profit organization dedicated to securing equality for all adult adopted people in the US. Find out more here, and join me and others in working for equality.

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I work hard to get the laws and facts straight in every state---and to keep them regularly updated. If you see something that's not quite right or doesn't fit your experience, let me know with either a quick comment or an email.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jesse Lassandro says

    Your work lasts a lifetime and generations will thank you. It is a high calling. Thank you for accepting this mantle of priceless advocacy.

  2. Lisa Duperon says

    I found out that the state of New York kept me from my biological family and I got a copy of the original birth certificate and I need to know if I can go after the state of New York for not giving me back to my biological family

What’s an Original Birth Certificate?

Most adopted persons know what an original birth certificate (OBC) is. Many non-adopted people do not. An original birth certificate is the initial birth certificate created shortly after a person's birth. For most people, it is their only birth certificate.

For persons born and adopted in the United States, a new or "amended" birth certificate replaces the OBC once the adoption is final. In addition to replacing the original, the names of the birth parents are also replaced with the names of the adoptive parents. Some states may also alter or omit additional information on a new certificate, including the adoptee's specific place of birth.

Depending on state law, an original birth certificate is sealed and remains unavailable to the adopted person, even when they become an adult. If you are not adopted, your original birth certificate is your only birth certificate---and it is always available to you upon request.