ABOUT ACAL

Effective July 10, 2023, California law was updated to limit who may act as an adoption intermediary or advertise adoption services. Violation of these laws can result in a misdemeanor conviction, fines and jail time. Prospective adoptive parents should contact an ACAL adoption attorney for more information about how to ethically and legally comply with these new laws.  ACAL attorneys are committed to full compliance with the law, and nothing on this website or in any ACAL promotional materials shall be construed otherwise. For further information, see Family Code Sections 8521, 8530, 8533, 8609, 8610, and 8621 through 8625, inclusive; Health & Safety Code Sections 1502, 1503.1, 1503.5, and 1505.

 

QUALIFICATIONS FOR ACAL MEMBERSHIP:

All applicants must be admitted to practice law in California, must be sponsored by an existing member, and must fulfill one or more categories below:

~ An Adoption applicant must have completed at least one hundred adoption matters, which can be any combination of stepparent, adult, international, independent, dependency, and agency adoptions, and terminations of parental rights;

OR

~ An ART applicant must have completed at least two hundred assisted reproduction matters, including any combination of  drafting/negotiation of surrogacy contracts; drafting/ negotiation of egg donor contracts; representation of intended parents through a complete surrogacy matter; representation of surrogates or egg donors; and preparation and completion (through entry of judgment) of parentage actions.

OR

            ~ the applicant must have special expertise in adoption or ART law.

For more information, please submit an inquiry to info@acal.org.

 

ACAL LAWYERS MAY PROVIDE:

 

Adoption

  • Legal representation in adoption matters: independent, agency, international, stepparent, interstate, adult, relative, co-parent and/or foster-adoption finalizations.
  • Legal advice about home studies, CDSS-Adoptions, social workers, adoption service providers, confidentiality, termination of parental rights, special needs adoption subsidies, legally permissible living expenses, and other legal and court services. 
  • Screening for legal risks in adoption situations.
  • Trust account administration and oversight.
  • Preparation and filing of the court documents for finalization of the adoption or readoption, and attending the court hearing as may be required by law.
  • Representation in adoption litigation.
  • Preparation and submission of legally required paperwork for permissin to travel pursuant to the Interstate Compact for Placement of Children (ICPC) statutes, both federal and state.
  • Thorough explanations of the various adoption processes and options.
  • Referrals to legally authorized adoption professionals and resources. 

 

Following a lawful match, ACAL lawyers may also:

         ~ draft and negotiate a plan for transfer of custody at time of placement or at hospital discharge.

         ~ draft and negotiate a Post-Adoption Contact Agreement.

         ~ lawfully coordinate with agency, medical, and hospital personnel/providers.

Assisted Reproduction

  • Representation in any or all aspects of the case.
  • Risk assessment.
  • Parentage (paternity/maternity) judgments and/or stepparent adoption.
  • Contract negotiation and drafting.
  • Review of third-party reproduction technology contracts for egg, sperm, or embryon donation, whether with the selected medical facility, matching program, or private parties.
  • Trust account administration.
  • Guidance in locating appropriate surrogates, intended parents, or egg, sperm, or embryo donors.
  • Referrals and resources.

Other Family Formation Alternatives

  • Representation of foster parents in juvenile court dependency matters.
  • Representation in guardianship proceedings.
  • Representation in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status proceedings.
  • Representation in embryo donation/embryo adoption matters.
  • Legal advice about procedures, timelines, risk assessment, and resources in family formation matters.

 

CURRENT OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS:

 

PRESIDENT: Deborah Wald

PRESIDENT-ELECT: Cynthia Fruchtman

SECRETARY: Greg Masler

TREASURER: Bonnie Hiler

MEMBERSHIP CHAIR: Shelley Tarnoff

TECHNOLOGY CO-CHAIRS: Michelle Evans and Alison Foster Davis

MCLE CO-CHAIRS: Katyadela Calderon (Adoption) and Rich Vaughn (ART)

LEGISLATION CHAIR: Lori Meyers