As a Tucson adoption lawyer and an adopted child myself, I understand the significance of adoptions out of foster care. It is often bittersweet. Ultimately, for a foster child to be available for adoption, there are biological parents whose rights had to be terminated or severed. Each case is different, and in just about every case, it is emotional. A foster family’s journey through the child welfare system can be long and, again, emotional. However, once foster parents and foster children are ready for the adoption step, I know exactly how to celebrate.

As you may have already read, I am adopted. Each year on my adoption day, my family and I celebrate it–with phone calls to one another, Hallmark cards, and sweets (cake… ice cream… gummy bears… you name it. I have quite the sweet tooth). Because of my own adoption journey, I try to celebrate this day with my clients. After all, they likely have just gone through, quite possibly, years of emotions during their foster care dependency case. They’re ready to celebrate by adoption day. So, for their adoption day, we go big. Over the past year or so, I became sort of an amateur photographer. By doing so, I’m able to help capture those first moments as a family. I take off my adoption attorney hat and replace it with family photographer. We take family photos before the hearing, at the hearing, and after, when everything is official. I also have an adoption sign created for them — you may have even seen some. Just search on Pinterest, Google, or Etsy, and you’ll find some cute ideas. Sign in tow, families are able to have an incredible day of celebration–something they truly deserve.

Quite frankly, I love my job. I love being an adoption attorney in Tucson. I love getting to know these families and see the incredible children who, legally, become their own. And most of all, I love being able to celebrate building their forever families with them.