A couple years ago my daughter asked if my husband could adopt her and we had no idea where to start. My husband did some research and came across a couple of law offices near us he liked that specialized in adoptions. We ended up scheduling consultations with a couple of offices. Our first was with Stuart & Blackwell.
We met with Kristy and she reviewed our case. She gave us different options on how to start the process. She laid everything out for us and even gave us scenarios that we could come across during the adoption process just so we could be aware of any hiccups along the way. After our consult, we decided not to even meet with the other office because we enjoyed our interaction with Kristy so much. What we liked most is we didn't feel pressured into one option over the other and absolutely did not feel pressured into starting right away. She also gave us a roundabout on expenses for the whole process which was almost exact.
During the whole process we worked with Kristy, Cory, Sharlesa, Kylie and Kourtney. They all made everything so easy for my husband and I. They gave us instructions on exactly what to do, what to expect, what forms to complete, what to get notarized, etc. They scheduled everything around our availability which was a huge plus as my husband and I work full time and have two daughters with different school/activity schedules. We weren't left with any questions on our end except for "How many people can we bring to the adoption ceremony?" There had to have been others behind the scenes working with them because the whole process was just too smooth.
Kristy was not available for the severance hearing but Cory was and he was exceptional as well. He reviewed everything that was discussed prior to the hearing and it played out just as imagined/planned. My husband and I were pretty nervous for the hearing as we had never done anything like this before; however, Cory went through all the questions that were anticipated and the hearing went well... and quick!
Kylie, Sharlesa and Kourtney were always available to answer our questions and always super helpful. There were times when I'd call the office, give minimal information and they would already know they were speaking with me and would greet me by name. When we walked into the office to make payments or sign forms, we were immediately greeted with smiles which is rare these days. The gals were so personable and even made sure to acknowledge both my daughters whenever we were in. We were never left questioning invoices, wondering what comes next, how to complete paperwork, etc. Everything was so easy and well explained.
Our final adoption hearing was awesome. We were given a list of questions we could anticipate being asked and they were (both by Kristy and the judge). The Stuart & Blackwell team went as far as requesting approval for us to bring more than the allotted amount of people allowed to attend. Kristy helped ease our nerves the day of. She even took the time to meet our family (one by one) that attended which included my brother, his wife and their three children and my sister, her husband and their two children. She didn't even have to but I am so appreciative that she did because her name and face will be one all of us will always remember on this special day-- especially our daughter who was being adopted. Kristy even took a bunch of pictures of my family and our extended family after the ceremony on her own phone. (Another huge thing for us is that our family out of state was able to watch via zoom. We had people in California, Hawaii, Texas and New Jersey watching!)
The Stuart & Blackwell team really took care of us. They worked at a pace that allowed my husband and I to fully grasp what just happened and what was going to happen next. They even went as far as giving us instructions on what to do for updated legal documents such as a new birth certificate, a new SSN and even how and when our daughter could change her name!
The Stuart & Blackwell team went above and beyond for my family. We could not have asked for a better team to work with. We thank you all so much. read more
