Family Law

NC Specific

North Carolina Adoption Law: Start to Finish

Credits Available
Credit Status Total
North Carolina CLE Approved 6 Total
South Carolina CLE Approved 6 Total
North Carolina Continuing Paralegal Education Approved 6 Total
OnDemand
5 hours 55 minutes
Thomas Thurman
E. Parker Herring
Jason Hicks
With Thomas J. Thurman from Thurman, Wilson, Boutwell & Galvin P.A. + 2 others
Recorded January 21, 2026.
Product ID 101403

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Course Includes
$489

OnDemand Video

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Overview

Ensure a Smooth Path to a New Life

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 faculty 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. Register today!

  • Get all the adoption assistance available for your clients, including tax credits.
  • Advise wisely on the differences between private placements and agency adoptions.
  • Comply with the notice and consent requirements for terminating parental rights.
  • Ensure clients are adhering to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.
  • Know your role in the interplay between social worker and guardians ad litem during the adoption process.
  • Prepare for problems such as third-party challenges and dissolution of adoption.
  • Advise clients knowledgeably with an understanding of current adoption law.
  • Tackle sensitive ethical issues and other problems that are unique in adoption situations.

Abbreviated Agenda

  1. The Essentials of Adoption Law
  2. Offering the Different Adoption Options
  3. Practical Guide Through the Adoption Process
  4. Procedures for Terminating Parental Rights
  5. Following Ethical Guidelines in Adoption Law
  6. Resolving Interstate Adoption Issues
  7. What to Do if Something Goes Wrong

Related Topics

Product ID 101403

Credit Details

Credits Available
Credit Status Total
North Carolina CLE Approved 6 Total
South Carolina CLE Approved 6 Total
North Carolina Continuing Paralegal Education Approved 6 Total
Select Jurisdiction
CLE
Paralegal

Agenda

All times are shown in

  1. The Essentials of Adoption Law

    1. Understanding the Definitions: Who May be Adopted
    2. Who May Adopt: Criteria and Qualifications
    3. Obtaining Adoption Assistance
    4. Helping Calculate Adoption Tax Credits
    5. Adhering to Federal Laws Affecting Adoptions

  2. Offering the Different Adoption Options

    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. When and How to Use Independent Options
    6. Circumstances for When it's Appropriate to Adopt an Adult
    7. Guidelines for Adopting Relatives
    8. Understanding Stepparent Adoptions
    9. Examining and Ensuring Foster Parent Rights

  3. Practical Guide Through the Adoption Process

    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. Open Adoption and Determining the Degree of Contact
    11. Unique Considerations When Adopting Children With Disabilities

  4. Procedures for Terminating Parental Rights

    1. General Requirements That Need to be Considered
    2. Obtaining Confirmed Consent and Surrender of Birth Parents
    3. Properly Dealing with Notice Requirements
    4. Observing Guidelines Governing Involuntary Termination
    5. Where Complaints May be Filed
    6. Issues Handled by State Common Pleas Courts
    7. When Default Proceedings May Move Forward

  5. Following Ethical Guidelines in Adoption Law

    1. Identifying Conflicts of Interest
    2. Confidentiality in Adoption Cases
    3. Guidelines for Setting Fair Attorney Fees
    4. Observing the Rules of Professional Conduct

  6. Resolving Interstate Adoption Issues

    1. What is the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)?
    2. Dealing with Conflicts Between State Laws
    3. Navigating Multistate Adoption Procedures

  7. What to Do if Something Goes Wrong

    1. Rights of the Biological Parents vs. Adoptive Parents: Who Takes Precedence?
    2. Proving a Parent is Unfit in Contested Adoptions
    3. Tackling Third-Party Challenges
    4. Procedures for Dissolution of Adoption
    5. Withdrawal of Consent? What to do Next
    6. Correctly Handling an Appeal of the Adoption Decree

Who Should Attend

This basic-to-intermediate level online seminar is designed for professionals who want to learn more about adoption laws and proceedings. Those who should attend include:

  • Attorneys
  • Paralegals
  • Adoption Agency Employees
  • Social Workers
  • Counselors

Speakers

Thomas J Thurman
Thomas J.
Thurman
Thurman, Wilson, Boutwell & Galvin P.A.
E. Parker Herring
E. Parker
Herring
Parker Herring Law Group
Jason F Hicks
Jason F.
Hicks
Guilford County Attorney's Office
Speaker bio
Thomas J Thurman

Thomas J. Thurman

Thurman, Wilson, Boutwell & Galvin P.A.
Thomas Thurman

is an attorney with Thurman, Wilson, Boutwell & Galvin P.A, where he practices in the areas of adoptions (domestic and interstate), civil litigation, contracts, homeowners associations, and wills and estates. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina and his J.D. degree from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Mr. Thurman has earned the following awards National Moot Court Team Member, Order of the Barristers Inductee and the Gressman-Pollitt Award for Outstanding Oral Advocacy Recipient. He is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association and the Mecklenburg County Bar Association. Mr. Thurman is admitted to practice in North Carolina and U.S. District Court (Western District of North Carolina).

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Speaker bio
E. Parker Herring

E. Parker Herring

Parker Herring Law Group
E. Parker Herring

is a board-certified specialist in family law and is the founding member of the law firm of Parker Herring Law Group, PLLC. She also is the director of A Child's Hope, a licensed child placing agency, and is the only attorney in North Carolina who directs an adoption agency. The agency was founded in 2000 and has placed over 500 North Carolina children for adoption. Ms. Herring has practiced for 30 years and speaks frequently at continuing education seminars on adoption and other family law topics. She also practices assisted reproduction, as well as all aspects of divorce law. Ms. Herring is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Wake Forest University School of Law. She is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, Wake County Bar Association and the North Carolina Collaborative Lawyers.

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Speaker bio
Jason F Hicks

Jason F. Hicks

Guilford County Attorney's Office
Jason Hicks

is an assistant county attorney with Guilford County, North Carolina. He is licensed in both Tennessee and North Carolina. Over the course of his career, Mr. Hicks has practiced family/divorce law, probate and litigation, as well as elder law, juvenile law, and local government law. He is a member of the District 24 (North Carolina); Putnam County (Tennessee); and Tennessee, North Carolina, and American bar associations. Mr. Hicks is currently the president of the North Carolina DSS Attorney's Association. He is past president of the Putnam County Bar Association and Upper Cumberland Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Hicks is also the past vice president of the Tennessee Bar Association-Young Lawyers Division. He is a frequent speaker at legal education seminars, having presented more than 40 CLE presentations. Mr. Hicks is a barrister member of the Guilford Chapter, American Inn of Courts. He earned his B.A. degree from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and his J.D. degree from Faulkner University, Thomas Goode Jones School of Law.

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