In this episode, you’ll learn what you need to know about adoption attorneys. When hopeful adoptive families start the process of domestic infant adoption, we can easily get overwhelmed as there are so many ways to adopt in the U.S. Working with an attorney may not be the first thing we think about when starting our journey. We may have no idea we even need an attorney. The truth is every domestic infant adoption needs an attorney to legally complete an adoption. Laws about adoption vary from state to state – and they are extremely important to know for a successful adoption. Case in point – when there are two states involved in an adoption, the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is in effect. The ICPC applies whenever a child is brought from one state (sending state) to another state (receiving state). The ICPC process requires lots of documentation and involves adoption laws from the sending state and the receiving state.  When my wife and I went through our first two newborn adoptions, we worked with adoption attorneys in our state and the state where our children were born. Making sure you are doing everything according to state law can be tricky and risky. It isn’t something that should be left to just any attorney who may be “familiar” with adoption. You need an adoption attorney – someone who specializes in adoption – someone who practices adoption law everyday.  In this episode of the Infant Adoption Guide Podcast we chat with Mark McDermott, an adoption attorney who practices in the Washington DC area. Mark is…. * an Adoptive Parent * the Past President of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys * a Board Member of Families for Private Adoption * the Past President of DC Metro RESOLVE No matter where you are in your adoption journey, eventually you will need an adoption attorney. Mark will help you understand what adoption attorneys can do for you and where to find them. What you will learn about in this episode: * What is the process for adopting a baby in the U.S. through an adoption attorney. * You’ll hear why all adoptions need qualified, specialized help from adoption attorneys. * The average cost for families adopting through attorneys. * The benefits and advantages by working with an adoption attorney. * Where you can find the best adoption attorneys. * AND MUCH MORE! Links we talk about in this episode: * TheAdoptionAdvisor.com – Mark McDermott’s site where you can contact him and find adoption information. * AdoptionAttorneys.org – easily find an adoption attorney near you or anywhere in the U.S. * InfantAdoptionGuide.com/START_HERE – LOTS of great domestic infant adoption information. * InfantAdoptionGuide.com/WELCOME – get my 4 FREE adoption resources. * InfantAdoptionGuide.com/ITUNES – if you like the podcast, please leave a review on iTunes so more folks can find the podcast. Thanks! * 7 Steps To Domestic Infant Adoption – my new ebook – an adoption resource guide with over 100 links to help you on your infant adoption journey.