Adoption is an emotional process for all the parties involved. Are you prepared to assist and guide your clients through this highly emotional time in their lives? Whether you represent the birth parents or the adoptive parents, our authors will update you on the latest adoption laws, help you understand various procedures and requirements and give you the background you need to handle adoption cases without unnecessary delays, ethical problems or surprises. Order today!

1. The Essentials of Adoption Law
2. Offering the Different Adoption Options
3. Practical Guide Through the Adoption Process
4. Procedures for Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship
5. Overcoming Interstate Adoption Issues
6. Essentials of International Adoptions
7. Following Ethical Guidelines in Adoption Law

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1. THE ESSENTIALS OF ADOPTION LAW
   9:00 - 9:45, Meg Sterchi
   1. Understanding the Definitions: Who May be Adopted
   2. Who May Adopt: Criteria and Qualifications
   3. Obtaining Necessary Adoption Assistance
   4. Helping Calculate Adoption Tax Credits
   5. Adhering to Federal Laws Affecting Adoptions
      1. The Impact of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997
      2. Service members Civil Relief Act
      3. Additional Regulations: The Indian Child Welfare Act
      4. The Effects of the Howard Metzenbaum Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994
2. OFFERING THE DIFFERENT ADOPTION OPTIONS
   9:45 - 10:30, Meg Sterchi
   1. What are Private Placement Adoptions?
   2. How Agency Adoptions Work
   3. Venue: Why it's so Important
   4. The Crucial Element of Consent
   5. Exploring Other Adoption Alternatives
      1. When and How to Use Independent Options
      2. Circumstances When it's Appropriate to Adopt an Adult
      3. Guidelines for Adopting Relatives
   6. Examining and Ensuring Foster Parent Rights
3. PRACTICAL GUIDE THROUGH THE ADOPTION PROCESS
   10:45 - 12:15, Joel D. Kirsh
   1. Preparation of Pre- and Post-Placement Reports
   2. The Interrelated Roles of Social Worker and Attorney
   3. Determining Fees and Expenses
   4. How to Conduct a Thorough Background Check
   5. The Adoption Home Study: A Look Into the Reality
   6. Working With Birth Parents - What You Need to Do
   7. State and Local Services Available to All Parties Involved
   8. Medical Care and Insurance Coverage for Birth Mother and Child
   9. Responsibilities of the Guardian Ad Litem
   10. Unique Considerations When Adopting Special Needs Children
4. PROCEDURES FOR TERMINATION OF THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP
   1:15 - 2:00, Derelle Watson-Duvall
   1. General Requirements That Need to be Considered
   2. Obtaining Consent to Adoption and Voluntary Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship
   3. Where Voluntary and Involuntary Termination Petitions May be Filed and Who May File Them
   4. Observing Guidelines Governing Involuntary Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship
   5. Properly Dealing with Notice Requirements
   6. Dispensing with Need for Parental Consent and Guardian's Consent to Adoption
5. OVERCOMING INTERSTATE ADOPTION ISSUES
   2:00 - 2:30, Joel D. Kirsh
   1. What is the Interstate Compact on Placement of Children?
   2. Dealing with Conflicts Between State Laws
   3. Navigating Multistate Adoption Procedures
6. ESSENTIALS OF INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS
   2:30 - 3:15, Jennifer Morrissey
   1. The Basic Steps to an International Adoption, Including Risks and Realities
   2. An Attorney's Role in International Adoptions
   3. United States Immigration and Naturalization
   4. Finalization Issues, Including Birth Certificates and Citizenship
7. FOLLOWING ETHICAL GUIDELINES IN ADOPTION LAW
   3:30 - 4:30, Joel D. Kirsh and Derelle Watson-Duvall
   1. Identifying Conflicts of Interest
   2. Confidentiality in Adoption Cases
   3. Guidelines for Setting Fair Attorney Fees
   4. Observing the Rules of Professional Conduct

JOEL D. KIRSH is a partner in the Indianapolis law firm of Kirsh & Kirsh P.C. Mr. Kirsh's practice is limited exclusively to adoption law. He has previously spoken to various professional groups on adoption law. Mr. Kirsh is one of the hosts of the annual "Adoptive Parents and Kids Picnic." He earned his B.S. and J.D. degrees from Indiana University. Mr. Kirsh is a member of the Indianapolis, Hamilton County, Indiana State and American bar associations, and the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (past network chairman).

JENNIFER MORRISEY is coordinator of international services with Adoptions of Indiana, where her main area of practice is international adoptions. Ms. Morrissey started working in the private adoption field in 1999. Prior to that, she had experience in adoption and foster care. Ms. Morrissey presents several times per year at their educational workshops on international adoption and also presented at the Indianapolis Adoption Conference in 2006. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Child Development and Family Studies, her Master's degree in Social Work. Ms. Morrissey is licensed in the State of Indiana - MSW and LSW.

MEG STERCHI, ACSW, LCSW, a founder and the executive director of Adoptions of Indiana, is a licensed clinical social worker that specializes in the area of adoption. Ms. Sterchi has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of mental health and social work focusing on children and families, mental health and education. For the last 12 of those years, she has focused on working with birth and adoptive families, preparing and supporting them throughout the adoption process. Ms. Sterchi's work focuses on the clinical issues surrounding private and international adoption. She firmly believes that adoption is a loving alternative to an unplanned pregnancy and is dedicated to the education and preparation of adoptive families and to the continuing improvement of the public's perception of adoption. Ms. Sterchi is guided by her philosophy that a major focus of adoption agencies should be to prepare, support and educate all parties involved in an adoption. Children are best served by parents who are well prepared to understand and deal with adoptive issues that arise throughout the adoptive lifecycle. Ms. Sterchi is a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers, Joint Council on International Children's Services and the North American Council for Adoptable Children. She earned her MSW degree from Indiana University School of Social Work and her B.A. degree from Purdue University.

DERELLE WATSON-DUVALL earned her J.D. degree from Indiana University Law School in Indianapolis and has practiced law for 30 years. She is a former child welfare caseworker and served as counsel for the Marion County Office of Family and Children for 16 years. Ms. Watson-Duvall has represented adoption and guardianship petitioners in private practice. She currently represents the programs of Kids' Voice, including the Derelle Watson-Duvall Children's Law Center of Indiana, the Supervised Parent-Child Visitation Program and the Bette J. Dick GAL for Kids Program. Ms. Watson-Duvall is a member of the Indiana Children's Justice Task Force and Heartland Pro Bono Council. She was a co-author of the 1988 CHINS Deskbook, Updates, Supplements, Primer II and the CHINS Deskbook 2001 with Frances G. Hill. Ms. Watson-Duvall also was co-author of the 2007 Supplement to the CHINS Deskbook 2001 with Saundria Bordone. She received the Viola Talliafero Award from the Civil Rights of Children Committee of the Indiana State Bar Association in 1998, and received the ISBA Women in the Law Recognition Award in 2004 from the Indiana State Bar Association.

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