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Herbert D. Friedman is an attorney specializing in adoption and reproduction law, including donor egg, surrogacy, and donation of cryopreserved embryos. His practice is dedicated to helping couples and individuals build families through adoption and assisted reproduction. For more than 30 years, he has helped with over 1,000 domestic and foreign adoptions. Foreign adoptions include adoptions from China, adoptions from Korea, adoptions from Guatemala, adoptions from Russia, adoptions from Kazakhstan, as well as from many other countries.

As a lawyer, he also provides legal advice and representation to families wishing to adopt a child of one spouse (called a step-parent adoption) or of an unrelated older child or younger adult.

He can also help couples and individuals considering or participating in assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures, such as egg (ovum) donation, gestational surrogacy, and the donation of cryopreserved embryos, by drafting or reviewing agreements, evaluating insurance coverage issues, petitioning the court for pre-birth orders for prospective intended parents, and by otherwise providing legal evaluation and advice.

As an adoptive parent himself, Herb understands the emotional turmoil that can occur during the adoption process and the importance of helping you by making the adoption process as responsive to your needs and as legally safe as possible. He believes that no one should undertake this process alone. He is ready to help you with the following:

• Explaining your legal rights and highlighting adoption and assisted reproduction methods and resources.
• Reviewing Massachusetts' adoption and assisted reproduction laws and procedures, as well as providing resources regarding adoption laws and procedures in other states and internationally.
• Developing a legally sound adoption plan that's suited to your situation.
• Ensuring that birth parents’ rights are legally terminated before your child is adopted.
• Communicating with the adoption agency to make sure your interests are
  being met.
• Reviewing any agreements that impact you and the child.
• Making sure the rules for any post-placement exchange of information or other contact are clearly delineated with the birth parent(s).
• Explaining why you should protect your international adoption by readopting your child in your home state. (See his article entitled "Readopting Your Internationally Adopted Child" .)
• Helping you deal with the traumatic situation of your recently internationally adopted child not fitting into your family. In other words, the child may need to be placed with another U.S. family. (This is called a disrupted adoption.)
• Helping you to become the legal guardian of a child you are related to or are close to if the child's parents are temporarily or permanently unable to raise the child. Guardianship may occur when either or both parties do not want the child to be adopted at this time.

Herbert Friedman is a sole legal practitioner as well as Of Counsel to Rudolph Friedmann, LLP. For information about Rudolph Friedmann, LLP, click the "RF" link below.

Herbert D. Friedman, Esq. ©2004-2011. All of the design and contents of this website are protected by federal copyright and other applicable law and may not be used or copied without the written permission of Herbert D. Friedman, Esq. In accordance with the rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, this web site must be label as "advertising". It is designed to provide general information only and should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion on any specific case, facts or circumstances. The provision of said information does not and should not be construed to constitute legal advice nor the formation of an attorney/client relationship between the reader and Herbert D. Friedman, Esq.