Attorney Woes

For anyone who has gone through the adoption process, particularly one that required hiring a foreign attorney without the aid of an agency, you'll understand this post well.

First of all, I'd like to say Holy Mackerel.

I have literally spent months researching legal counsel in Haiti. I have sent more emails than I can count, some which go unanswered and most which return "unable to deliver." Man, it's tough to communicate with Haiti!

I have had a few phone conversations with the dear Sister who runs the orphanage in Fondwa, which has led me to believe that email is the best bet for handling legal and financial matters with our adoption. There is the whole French-Creole to English interpretation issue, crazy background noise (that woman has one heck of a microphone on her phone because I can hear every conversation near her, in Creole, over her own voice), and then there is the issue of reception (did I mention that I am talking about a third world country here, and the orphanage is in the mountains?) For the sake of my sanity, not to mention a paper trail of communication regarding super important stuff, I'll stick with email . . . or want to, anyway.

Tomorrow we will be putting our last notarizations on our documents. That means we are ready for the Secretary of State's stamp and a big mailing to the interpreter. What a relief! Sort of . . .
I don't know who's name to put on the power of attorney.

I have spent a few months communicating with a legal "cabinet" in Port-au-Prince, but am uneasy about their names missing from the U.S. Embassy's list of attorneys. Excuse me for being cautious with so many thousands of dollars. The thought of getting ripped off and delaying the adoption of our beautiful boys makes me physically weak.

So here I sit, at the computer, once again sending out emails after checking and triple checking the U.S. Embassy list to the other lists of googled Haitian attorneys who provide adoption services. Praying that a few will get to the intended recipients who feel compelled to respond without delay and quote me the same (or lower, dare I go there?) fee to legally bring our boys into our family.

Did I mention that I am itching to mail these documents off?!  

For now, I'll print many versions of the same power of attorney, all with different legal representation listed, and continue to pray for guidance . . . and some email.

Don't hate me Jerome. Either we notarize them all tomorrow and only send the one we need, or I have to bother you again to be my stamp man in the future.

Man, this adoption stuff is work! Can't wait to smile and say Wow, that was worth it!

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