Indiana Adoption Attorney vs. Adoption Agency – Which Is Right for You?

By: Grant Kirsh

If you are thinking about how to give up your baby for adoption in Indiana, one of the first decisions you will face is this: do you work with an adoption attorney or an adoption agency?

It is a fair question – and an important one. The answer can affect your experience, your rights, and the level of personal support you receive throughout the process.

At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., we are an Indiana adoption law firm that has been serving birth mothers and adoptive families since 1981. We are a family firm rooted right here in Indiana – and we believe you deserve a clear, honest explanation of your options before you make any decisions.

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An adoption agency is an organization — usually licensed by the state — that provides adoption-related services. Agencies can be private or public, nonprofit or for-profit. They typically serve as a go-between for birth mothers and adoptive families, providing services like counseling, matching, and case management.

Some adoption agencies are local. Many are not. A number of national adoption agencies operate across the country and lease shared office space in Indiana to look like they are local — but their staff, their leadership, and their decision-making are based somewhere else entirely. They may not know Indiana courts, Indiana hospitals, Indiana social workers, or the communities where you live — whether that is Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend, Hammond, or Gary.

That distinction matters more than many people realize when you are deciding how to give up a baby for adoption and need someone truly in your corner.

What Is an Adoption Attorney?

An adoption attorney is a licensed lawyer who handles the legal side of adoption. In Indiana, adoption is a legal process — which means an attorney is involved in every adoption, whether you start with an agency or not.

When you work directly with an adoption law firm like Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., you skip the agency middleman entirely. Your case is handled by attorneys who know Indiana adoption law inside and out — people who have been doing this in this state for over 40 years.

What Are the Key Differences?

Personal attention. Adoption agencies often handle large volumes of cases across many states. A local Indiana adoption law firm offers more direct, personal attention to each birth mother.

Local knowledge. Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C. knows Indiana — not just the law, but the hospitals, the social workers, the doctors, and the communities across this state. From Indianapolis and Carmel to Bloomington, Muncie, Terre Haute, Lafayette, Kokomo, Anderson, Fishers, and Greenwood — we know the people and places that matter in your adoption. A national adoption agency simply cannot replicate that.

Legal expertise. When you work with an adoption attorney from the start, the legal side of your case is handled by the same team guiding you through the entire process. Nothing gets lost in translation between an agency and a law firm.

Cost to you. At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., our services are 100% free to birth mothers. You will never pay us anything — not for legal guidance, not for support, not for help finding a family.

Your own independent attorney. We were the first adoption professionals in Indiana to offer birth mothers their own independent attorney — someone who represents only you, paid for by the adoptive parents. Indiana law does not require this, but we require it of our clients. If you want your own attorney, the adoptive family pays for it. You never pay a dime.

Which Option Is Right for You?

If you want personalized attention, deep Indiana roots, over 40 years of experience, and direct access to attorneys who truly know this state — a local Indiana adoption law firm is the right choice.

Be careful about working with a national adoption agency that looks local but is not. Ask where their office is actually based. Ask who will be handling your case. Ask how many states they operate in. The answers will tell you a lot.

We Typically Have Over 100 Families Waiting

One of the most common questions birth mothers have when thinking about how to put up a baby for adoption is whether they will have real choices. At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., we typically have over 100 families waiting to adopt. Whether you are in Indianapolis, Evansville, South Bend, Fort Wayne, or a smaller community anywhere in Indiana — you will have real profiles to review and a genuine opportunity to find the family that feels right.

Call or text us at 800-333-5736. Visit us at IndianaAdoption.com. There is no cost and no obligation to reach out.

About the Author
Grant Kirsh is a second-generation adoption attorney and owner of Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., a family law firm in Indianapolis, Indiana that has been serving Indiana families since 1981. Grant graduated from Indiana University McKinney School of Law in 2013 and has personally handled nearly 3,000 foster care adoptions and his law firm has handled over 5,000 private newborn adoptions. He practices all forms of domestic adoption, with a deep personal commitment to expectant mothers considering adoption in Indiana and Indiana’s foster care system and the families and children it serves.