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We realize that our business owners have or want families and we want to ensure that we are providing comprehensive legal support to our entrepreneurs, business owners and investors. To that end, Scott Legal, P.C. offers a variety of family law services to our clients.  In addition to the services listed below, we can assist you with certain matrimonial actions and pre-nuptual agreements.

Are you interested in starting or expanding your family?  Let us guide you through the legal hurdles of either surrogacy or adoption.

Surrogacy

Surrogacy is a complex emotional and legal process and who better to guide you through it than someone who has personally been through the process.  Our founder Ian E. Scott has gone through a full surrogacy cycle including selecting a surrogacy agency, picking an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Clinic, selection of an egg donor and a surrogate, negotiating the complicated contracts between the egg donor and surrogate, and finally negotiating the contract with the surrogacy agency.

In addition to heightened emotional levels, the world of surrogacy has its share of legal complications.  In some States surrogacy is banned and in others it is highly regulated.  With surrogates, egg donors, intended parents and clinics all often in different States, you need someone on your side that is intimately familiar with the surrogacy laws in various States.  Moreover, the legal work surrounding the custody or adoption of the new born child is not without its challenges.  Let Scott Legal, P.C. guide you through all of the hurdles.  We can assist you from the start of your journey until the birth of your child.

In addition, as Ian E. Scott has been through the process he can save you time and money by providing both advice regarding the many steps in the surrogacy process as well as working on the various legal documents and contracts along the way.

Scott Legal, P.C. provides the following surrogacy related services:

  • Development and review of agreement between intended parents and surrogacy agency
  • Consultation regarding the surrogacy process with key steps & advice to save you money
  • Development and review of carrier/surrogate agreements
  • Development and review of egg/donor agreement
  • Development and review of agreement between intended parents and IVF clinic
  • All legal aspects related to the birth of the child (adoption, pre-birth order, guardianship, etc)
  • Wills for intended parents to ensure that children are provided for
  • Review and consultation surrounding health care and maternity insurance contracts

Adoption

Adoption is an emotional and complex experience.  The process can be quite time consuming depending on the type of adoption you wish to undertake but the end result is full of rewards.  Here is a brief summary of the different types of adoption that we can help you with.

Private Placement & Agency Adoption

New York State has two types of adoptions: private placement adoptions and agency adoptions.  A private placement adoption does not involve an adoption agency and the lawyers represents either the adoptive parents or the birth parents. We will provide you with comprehensive guidance so that we can pull together the proper documents and fulfill the state’s requirements for adoption.

In agency adoptions, the agency has custody of the child and supervises the placement until the child is adopted.  The adoption attorneys work with the agency and the family to ensure the papers are complete for filing.

Both situations can be complex and the level of difficulty of the adoption is really dependent on the facts and circumstances of your case.

Step Parent Adoption

Adopting a stepchild is the most common type of adoption and is far easier than adopting a child that does not have any relationship to you. To adopt a stepchild the stepparent must have the consent of both his or her spouse and the child’s other birth parent.  In some cases when the other birth parent is not in the picture, simply a best effort to notify the parent will be sufficient.  After the adoption, the stepparent assumes the rights and responsibilities for the child. In effect the stepparent is no longer a stepparent but becomes the child’s parent.  After the point at which the stepparent adopts the child, the other birth parent does not have any further rights or responsibilities for the child.

Kinship Adoption

A kinship adoption is the adoption of a child by an adult member of the child’s extended family. There are a large number of kinship adoptions in New York City where children are being raised by a relative other than the child’s birth parents. Whether you are concerned about the care of your younger brother or sister, grandchild, niece, nephew or another family member, we can help you form a strong and stable bond between you and that child through adoption.

International Adoption

At times there can be extensive waits for children in this country and many decide to adopt internationally. Even if you do this, you must comply with the adoption laws here and in the country you wish to adopt from.  This added layer of complexity is something that Scott Legal, P.C. can help you with.  We can help you realize your dream to become parents.

What will our services cost you?

As a first step in a Surrogacy, Adoption or other Family Law proceeding, we will ask you to complete a comprehensive questionnaire.  Take a look at a sample questionnaire by clicking here.

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