ADULT ADOPTION ATTORNEY - RANDALL HICKS, LAWYER FOR ADULT ADOPTIONS FOR 37 YEARS
I have one of the few "adoption only" law practices in California. My office serves Los Angeles County and all SoCal courts. For 30+ years I did all types of adoption. Then years ago, as I decided to cut down my hours when I got into my 60s, I decided to only do the type of adoption that was always my favorite: adult adoption. I think I am the only attorney in America who limits his practice to adult adoption (and adult stepparent adoption). I continue working because I love what I do, and I meet interesting new people every day, so why retire? I'll probably work 'til I die (which hopefully is a ways away).
I hope you like my blunt, tell-it-like-it-is style. I'm writing this myself. I laugh when I read other attorneys' websites and it says, "John Smith is the greatest attorney who ever lived. Women want him and men want to be him." Sorry, a little humor there, but you get the idea. What strikes me as funny is we all know that the attorney is writing it about himself, but makes it sound like someone is writing it about him. So no such baloney by me. This is me, writing about me.
How am I different - my fees - and the exact legal costs to do an adult adoption
Let me start by saying that although I'm a lawyer, I'm not a big fan of other lawyers. I think they charge too much, then they overcharge you again at the end. (Like contractors and car mechanics - not to offend those professions - sorry! - but you know what I'm talking about . . . if someone comes out to remodel your house and gives you an estimate, you can be sure it will be an extra 50% when it's done. Lawyers are sadly often the same.) Plus, they often have a 10-15 page retainer/fee agreement that seems designed to confuse you and make you not even try to read it. So, I'm sort of an anti-lawyer.
First off, my retainer is not ten pages. It is one page. Yes, one simple-to-read page, because good lawyers should make things easy for their clients to understand, not confuse them.
I also give free consultations. And I don't mean a super short chat with nothing of substance discussed. My consultation is designed to completely educate the adopting parent(s) and the adoptee on the laws, procedures and timetable in doing the adoption of an adult. It is by Zoom, so you can do it from your home, and takes 30-40 minutes.
Information about the low flat fee.
Also, unlike about every other lawyer, I charge a flat fee - not hourly, where it mounts with every call and letter and email with your lawyer. My flat fee includes the court filing fee and related court costs, and my office costs. These are things lawyers usually make you pay, and these expenses usually add up to hundreds of dollars. So with me, you know your exact fee before you start.
My flat fee is only $2,250. This covers all your document preparation, my time with you, the court filing, seeing the adoption through to completion, and the final court hearing to finalize the adoption. So it is your TOTAL fee for a typical adult adoption. That is every penny you spend.
I encourage you to call around to other family law attorneys, ask about their fees, and ask to see their retainer in advance. I believe you will find they charge about $400 hourly. How can the average person afford that? And I think the average total price you will be quoted will be about $3,500-$4,000 (and not even with any assurances it won't end up costing more). It likely won't even include their costs and expenses. When you have taken the time to compare, then call me and let's get serious about doing your adult adoption.
Also, I can pretty much guarantee any family law lawyer will not have done many adult adoptions. Their practices focus on divorce and child custody, so they will not come close to matching my experience or credentials.
My flat fee even covers instances where the person being adopted wants to keep the parental rights of their existing parent or parents intact and not be terminated by the adoption, which can now be done thanks to a law I wrote, passed by the legislature in 2020. Most attorneys charge extra for this extra paperwork, but I include it in his flat fee if you elect this option. The About Adult Adoption page gives you more information about his legal option.
What is my experience?
As far as I know, I do more adult adoptions than any other attorney in California. (I know this only from what court clerks tell me - there are no official statistics kept.). Most attorneys in the family law field have never, or rarely, done an adult adoption, as 99% of their practice is divorce and child custody.
I encourage you to compare my reputation and experience with any other attorneys out there.
37 years as an adoption attorney.
160+ five-star client reviews on Avvo, the attorney-rating service, and the highest rating of 10 ("superb").
The highest rating of "preeminent" (AV) by attorney-rating service Martindale-Hubbell. Only 10% of attorneys nationwide have earned this status.
I have worked with the legislature on several adoption laws. Most recently I wrote a law [Family Code 9306(c)] with the biggest impact in adult adoption in decades, allowing adoptees to keep their existing parents' rights which would otherwise be ended by the adoption of a new parent.
I am profiled on Wikipedia as both an adoption attorney and an author.
A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau.
Leading author on adoption and stepparenting. Over the last 25 years, my books have been featured on The Today Show, CBS This Morning, PBS, Sally Jessy Raphael, Mike & Maty, John & Leeza from Hollywood, and others.
Five-star reviews on Yelp and Google (Google all my Stepparent Adoption Center locations to see all reviews).
What are my goals for my clients?
You are hiring me to make things easy, simple and fast for you, with the knowledge everything will be done perfectly. So that is my goal, and I believe I achieve it. All you do is:
- Complete the Adult Adoption Questionnaire to tell me more about your adoption desires and so I can give you a very detailed consultation.
- Have a free, 30-40 minute consultation via Zoom so I can review the entire process step-by-step. (Both the adopting parent(s) and the adoptee need to attend as all are co-petitioners with the court and need to understand the process.)
- I prepare all the required documents (8-12, depending on your county)(see a sample adult adoption document here), send them to you for signature, then file them with the court and get your court date.
- I appear with you to finalize the adoption. Sometimes this is in person and sometimes we can do it by video, depending on your county.
So to summarize, all you need to do is sign what I send you, then wait for me to tell you when the court date is. It should feel fast and simple at your end. I do all the complicated legal stuff.
A link to the questionnaire is below. But if you have not already done so, please read the Adult Adoption page to answer your initial questions, and help you know if adult adoption is right for you.