Welcome

    Robert H. Klima has practiced adoption law in Northern and Central Virginia since 1978.  He is a graduate of the University of Maryland (1974) and George Mason University School of Law (1978).  He is a member of the following professional organizations:

Virginia State Bar
American Academy of Adoption Attorneys
Prince William County Bar Association
Christian Legal Society

BIOGRAPHY

     Robert  H. Klima has been a member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys since that organization was established in 1989. As a Virginia Member of AAAA, Mr. Klima worked with members of the General Assembly of Virginia to write major changes to Virginia's adoption laws which were enacted in 1995.  Mr. Klima represents both birth parents and adoptive parents and handles both parental placement and agency placement adoptions. He is often able to help birth parents and adoptive parents to find each other.

NEWSLETTER

     Mr. Klima publishes a quarterly newsletter on Adoption in Virginia, which is mailed to anyone upon request.  There is no fee to receive a copy of the newsletter.  All that is necessary is to provide your name and mailing address to Mr. Klima's office.

HOW TO ADOPT IN VIRGINIA

     There are two separate sets of laws which govern adoption in Virginia. One set of laws involves adoptions which are handled by adoption agencies. The other set of laws involves direct placement of a child by the birthparent(s) with the adoptive parents. Parental Placement Adoptions are also known as Private Adoptions or Independent Adoptions.

     The primary traditional advantage of an agency adoption is confidentiality.  An agency adoption can be handled in such ways that the birth parents and the adoptive parents do not know who each other are.  There is, however, a growing consensus among adoptive families and adoption professionals that some openness is in the best interests of everyone involved.  Virginia has many excellent agencies, which do a highly professional job.  The costs of an agency adoption, however, are usually a great deal higher than the costs associated with a parental placement adoption.

     A birthparent, usually the birth mother, may make a direct placement of her child with any family she chooses.  A home study by a licensed agency is required in order to ensure that the adoptive family is an appropriate family to receive the child for adoption. There is some direct contact required between the birth mother and the adoptive family.

     Parental placement adoptions are a deeply rewarding experience, but require careful management from the beginning.  It is wise to consult a qualified adoption attorney as soon as you think that you want to proceed to adopt.  He can guide you each step of the way, from your efforts to find a birth mother to the finalization of the adoption itself.  Without such guidance, serious mistakes can be made early which can have disastrous results.

     All it takes to get started is a telephone call.  Mr. Klima will be happy to speak with you and, if you like, to provide you with a free in person initial consultation.