The American Academy of Adoption Attorneys has members throughout the U.S. and Canada who are experienced in the complexities of adoption law as well as interstate and international regulations surrounding adoption. The Academy is the largest and most accessible resource for finding an adoption attorney.

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Virginia L. Frank
Attorney & Counselor at Law
Practice Limited to Adoption & Infertility Law
 

    People often ask me why I chose adoption law as a limited practice area. Well, here’s my story. I hope it gives you more insight into who I am and why I have a passion for aiding birth parents, children, and adoptive parents in their adoption.
    When I was growing up, I lived in a very small town in Northern Oklahoma. Most of my friends were either pregnant or married before graduating from high school. Upon graduation, I knew that I wanted to help women to explore other choices besides parenting or abortion. Four year later, I graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science (pre-law) and a Bachelors in Communications. Thereafter, I entered law school and graduated three years later from Oklahoma City University School of Law in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
    Shortly after entering private practice, I helped my best friend adopt. She and her husband were infertile. They had no other way of building a family since the doctors couldn’t figure out why they couldn’t conceive. A year late, I had helped them adopt. Since that time, I have aided over 2750 families, birthparents and children, find their way together in building a family. I moved with my family to Colorado in 2002 and help families nationwide adopt both in Colorado, Nevada and Oklahoma. I hope that I can help you as well.
    As you may or may not know, Nevada adoptions require an Agency in Nevada to do the state required birth parent counseling and do a consent or a relinquishment. Nevada is known as an “agency state”. No private placement adoptions by attorneys are allowed however attorneys can do the legal work and work in conjunction with a Nevada Licensed Agency. Further, most agencies in Nevada will not have an attorney draw up any specific case paperwork for any party in the adoption triad except if legal work is needed in termination proceedings. Many agency’s in Nevada are not represented by legal counsel. Social workers usually draft and submit much of the paperwork. I would not advise any client to work with agencies who do not have a policy of legal representation for all parties involved to protect each client. The lives of everyone involved depends on the legal paperwork being correct and consents being irrevocable after completed. Please make sure that whoever you use looks out for your best interest when it comes to representation. I represent Adoption Choices of Nevada but would recommend you have your own attorney representing you either in Nevada if you are resident or in your own state of residency is you are from another state. You can’t afford for paperwork to be incorrect or incomplete. After the child is freed for adoption and the rights of the birth parents are terminated, then your attorney does the finalization in your state of residence.
    As I have stated previously, I represent Adoption Choices of Nevada as In-House Counsel, a local Nevada licensed agency. This agency can help you work through your situation and see what is right for your family’s unique situation. They can help you find a home study agency that can begin the adoption process (if you are from another state), or do the study for you if you are from Nevada, help with locating a birth family in which to match, find the right agency for you to work with for relinquishment counseling and custody if you are adopting a child out of state, complete the legal termination of birth parent rights paperwork for the Nevada adoption, as well as work with your local attorney for finalize the adoptions for in-state adoptive parent(s). (Adoptive Parents living outside the State of Nevada must finalize in their own home state).
    If you have already found a birth mother in Nevada, your adoption is called a “designated adoption”. Sometimes it is difficult or confusing when trying to find an agency that can help or what to do next. Adoption Choices directs clients to situations that can best fit their needs and the birth parents needs. Here is a list of just a few things that Adoption Choices of Nevada can help you with during your adoption process: Finding an agency who can terminate the rights of each parent within several days of birth, finding legal representation for your birth mother during her terminating procedures; attempting to terminate the birth father’s rights who is not signing a consent; making sure you are represented as the adoptive parent(s); aid in completing the Interstate Compact for the Adoption of Children otherwise called the “ICPC” (required for couples who live in a state other than the state the child is born in), speaking with the adoption professional in the couples home state and gathering all necessary documents (attorney and/or agency), aiding couples in getting legal custody of the child after birth, finding counseling (mental health) for you or your birth parent(s), processing a new birth certificate, finalizing the adoption if you live in Nevada.
    If you have not found a child to adopt and you would like help in locating a birth mother or agency that can match you quickly, I can help explain the process in Nevada for going through the agency, Adoption Choices of Nevada. I would love to help if I can.
    I do not aid families with adoptions outside of Adoption Choices of Nevada. I can give referrals to other attorneys that handle any type of step parent, family, custodial, guardianship, gestational carriers, egg donation, infertility law questions, or adoption that requires an attorney in Nevada outside of the agency, Adoption Choices of Nevada.
    Lastly, whether you decide to use Adoption Choices of Nevada or use another agency in Nevada (who is represented by another member of the ///A), I hope that your adoption experience is a wonderful one and that adopting whatever child is blessed to be in your home brings joy and happiness to you and your family. Thank you for your time.

Warmly,

Ginny Frank

PRACTICE AREAS: Adoption Agency: Agency counsel ONLY; Adoption Choices of Nevada, a licensed Nevada agency.

Biography

VIRGINIA L. FRANK was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1966; admitted to Oklahoma Bar, 1992, Oklahoma and U.S. District Court, Western District of Oklahoma, Admitted to Colorado Supreme Court, 2002, Admitted to Nevada as In-House Counsel for Adoption Choices of Nevada, 2010. Education: University of Oklahoma (B.A. Political Science and B.A. Communications, 1988); Oklahoma City University School of Law (J.D., 1991).

Speaker, Continuing Legal Education in Oklahoma, “Termination of Birth Fathers’ Rights in Oklahoma”, Oklahoma Bar Association, 1996; Planner, Speaker and Moderator of “Adoption Law Update” in 1999; Planner, Speaker and Moderator of “Adoptions- The Changing Twists and Turns” 2001, Speaker & Co-Chair, American Academy Mid-Year Meeting for Agencies, October, 2006; Speaker, Oklahoma Bar Association, May 2007, Speaker, Colorado Bar Association on Adoption Issues, February & October, 2007; National Business Institute, “Adoption Laws in Colorado”, December, 2007; Speaker, Child Placement Organizations, Colorado, October, 2008, Visiting Speaker at Denver University School of Law, April 2009, Oklahoma Bar Association, “Updates and Changes”, October 1, 2009; Resolve Conference, October 2009; National Business Institute, “Overcoming Interstate Adoption Issues”, December, 2009.

Member: Oklahoma Bar Association; Colorado Bar Association; Nevada Bar (In-House Agency Counsel-Adoption Choices, Inc.); Oklahoma Native American Bar Association; American Adoption Congress; NICWA (National Indian Child Welfare Association); NACAC; Fellow: American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (A///) since 1999, Fellow: American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys (AARTA).

**Information communicated by email from a prospective client will not be treated as confidential or preclude Attorney Frank from representing another party unless she accepts retention as your attorney.**

Virginia L. Frank
Attorney & Counselor at Law
 Practice Limited to Adoption & Infertility Law

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