AVVO QUESTION ON ADOPTION SEARCH

I am 22 years old & was adopted in GA. I contacted the GA adoption reunion registry to search for my biological mother. It's been 4 months since the start of the search. The agent says she has sent two letters to my biological mother with no response. I'm thinking my last resort is to petition it through the courts. How do I go about this & what are the ballpark fees ?

Paula McGill's Answer Plus Additional Commentary.

You may want to circumvent the court since the government doesn't care that your identity was stolen when you were young and done so without your consent. Little by little states have realized the error in their ways and have allowed adult adoptees to open their records. Those states recognize it is their natural right to know their birth families. Unfortunately, Georgia isn't one of those states.

You may not want to waste your money by going through the courts. There are other ways to find your family, including searching through gene collection services and adoptee groups. The gene service that may assist you is 23andMe. There is a small fee for analyzing your genes and determining if there are other family members who are also in this service. Because more and more people are interested in finding their ancestors and close family members regardless of whether they are adopted or not, this is good may to find cousins and then springboard into finding brother, sisters, grandparents, and then parents. Another option is to hire a private detective. However the 23andMe service and a Georgia adoption listserve will serve you better than going through the courts. Once you get a collection of close cousins, a private detective may be able to find your mother, father, and siblings.

Three and half years later found my husband was still married to his first wife, after we got married.

Three and half years later found my husband was still married to his first wife, after we got married.

Legal Online Answers from Paula McGill

New York Family Law Cases Involving Georgia Residents-Niche Market

Georgia is a magnet for New York transplants. Oftentimes, these new Georgia residents have open child support matters in New York. Additionally, frequently New York transplants cannot take the southern culture shock and make a U-turn to return to the North. While these reverse transplants may return to their home state, but their children may return to Georgia.

Once these splits occur, the parents have to deal with New York and Georgia courts. It is much easier to have one attorney for both jurisdictions. This is especially so when the proceeding is in New York. Indeed, New York recognizes that parents cannot simply pick up and drive or fly for hours just to appear for a 10 to 15 minute interaction with the court. In fact, the money used to fly or drive could best be used on the children. As a result, New York allows parents who are at least two counties away from the court to appear by phone. For those Georgia residents who hire me, we can sit in my office and appear and participate in trials and hearings that are occurring 900+ miles away. An additional benefit to hiring local Georgia/New York counsel is a client can discuss the matter with me face to face in one of my offices. For initial consultations and trial prep, this type of interaction is invaluable.

At the other end of the drive, I have office access in NYC, Long Island, and Westchester County. I am available to meet with a New York client in person to discuss his case that is before a Georgia court. Unfortunately, Georgia law doesn't guarantee appearance by phone. However, it is still invaluable to have counsel who is licensed in both places. This is especially true when there are young children involved and the parent can expect to be before the court many times before the children reach majority. Starting a relationship with counsel at the beginning of the journey should save time and money over the years.

Time Crunch for Attorneys and Clients

My preference is to work with clients who understand an attorney's time is valuable. As a result, corresponding by e-mail to obtain short updates and to ask quick questions are ideal. Similarly, I understand clients are busy with work and families. They don't have time for frequent long explanations or telephone calls during office hours. Moreover, they don't have time to take off from work for long tedious office visits. This is especially so, when an evening or weekend telephone conference will provide the same information as a face to face meeting. For those who believe long essays are required for any communication between attorneys and clients, an hourly rate charge of $350 to $450 bill will probably break you of that belief.

Can of frozen soda explodes, leaves boy with 38 stitches

Can of frozen soda explodes, leaves boy with 38 stitches

The key isn't the story about the frozen soda.  Intead, it's the comments thereafter that show  a true ignorance about product safety and personal responsibility. As one advertisement states, lawsuits aren't frivlous when its you or one of your family members who are seriously injured. 

These conservatives don't think corporations should ever be held personally responsible for any harm done to individuals or society. 

BEATING THE EMPLOYER FACEBOOK DISCLOSURE

HOW TO BEAT THE FACEBOOK DISCLOSURE STUPIDITY

Until states pass laws that prohibit employers from demanding facebook passwords, job seekers and current employees can protect themselves and their friends.

1. Just tell the employer no.

2. If you are too desperate to say no, before you look for a job, create a dummy Facebook page with fake friends and change your tag name on your real Facebook page to a nickname your true friends would know.

3. If you want to disclose your real Facebook page name, tell your friends by Facebook e-mail of your search and the danger of having personal information disclosed to a snooping employer. Of course, delete the e-mail after you send it so there is no record.

4. Delete any embarrassing pictures and defriend (even temporarily) those people who your employer may hold against you before you disclose your password.

5. Delete all personal information, including, likes, dislikes, hobbies and the like. Create likes, dislikes, hobbies and the like that will make you look good.

6. Change your password within a week after disclosing it to the employer. You don't want your employer with a strangle hold on your forever. After all, your personal life is your personal life.

7. Make sure all your friends have their pages on a privacy setting. You don't want your employer to enter your page through the back door.