ABOUT ACAL
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.
ACADEMY LAWYERS MAY ASSIST YOU WITH:
Adoption
- Representation in adoption matters: independent, agency, international, step-parent, inter-state, adult, relative, co-parent and/or foster-adoption finalizations..
- Information about home studies, CDSS-Adoptions, social workers, adoption service providers, confidentiality, termination of parental rights, and special needs adoption assistance.
- Adoption costs such as advertising and legally permissible living expenses.
- Screening adoption situations for commitment, health and social history, legal problems and the likelihood of success.
- Trust account administration.
- Representation in adoption litigation.
- Guidance in locating appropriate birth parents or adoptive parents.
- Assistance with birth parent housing and medical resources.
- Referrals to adoption-competent mental health counselors
- Thorough explanation of the various adoption processes and options.
- Creation of an adoption plan around the birth and transfer of custody.
- Coordination with hospital personnel and medical care providers.
- Referrals and resources.
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 proceedings.
- Representation in embryo donation/embryo adoption matters.
- Information about procedures, timelines, risk assessment.
- Risk assessment and general advisement in all areas of family formation law.
- Referrals and resources.
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: