Shelby Review

State Rep. Doug Wozniak (R-Shelby Township) introduced a bipartisan proposal that would improve an accidental result of 2017 legislation the prevents lawyers from legally serving people in adoption court hearings, according to Michigan House Republicans. The new legislation was approved on February 19 by the Michigan House.

In 2017, a law that aimed to prevent undercover adoptions without court supervision was signed. Rep. Doug Wozniak said the Legislature incidentally neglected to include measures to protect lawyers who regularly serve parents who adopt and biological parents in adoption cases.

If the law was not updated, attorneys would be violating Michigan law and could be subject to felony charges and prosecution for endorsing their legal services.

“Licensed attorneys who help families and biological parents undergoing court-supervised adoptions provide invaluable support for families in need while undergoing the complicated process,” Wozniak said to Michigan House Republicans. “Without them, the great majority of adoptions would not be possible. This is a very straightforward solution to an unintended problem," Wozniak added.