Agency vs. Law Firm

[oneslybookworm]

I figure, if anyone can help me, it's probably you ladies/gentlemen. We're looking to start the adoption process, and one of my previous law professors tossed out the name of a law firm that does adoptions.  Have any of you worked with an adoption law firm over an agency? If so, why did you choose the firm?

Basically, I'm looking for some pros and cons for agencies vs. law firms. 

[pinkie]

We chose an agency for a few reasons:

- we felt they were better about to provide counseling to an EM and then a BM.

- The agency did everything (advertising, matching, AP support, counseling).

I'm sure there are attorneys that can do it all too but we felt an agency would provide more support for everyone. We did have a separate attorney for finalization and she could give guidance on if an agency match posed any legal risks.

[cst2cst]

We used an Adoption Law Center. We interviewed several agencies and the law center and felt the one we went with had the most comprehensive program. They kept statistics and had a solid program that I felt comfortable with. They also seemed more insulated against scammers. They were great with EMs and BMs but screened first before having direct contact. We had friends who had been contacted twice by "emotional scammers" so I felt more secure with having more initial involvement from the center.