9.1 General Principles
9.1 General Principles aetrahan Wed, 07/05/2023 - 11:57There are several types of adoptions under Louisiana law. Our law recognizes agency adoptions,1 private adoptions,2 intrafamily adoptions,3 international adoptions,4 and adult adoptions.5 The laws governing adoptions differ depending on the type of adoption. Insofar as most adoptions handled by legal services attorneys are usually intrafamily adoptions, this manual will concentrate on these types of adoptions.
Louisiana courts have long held that “laws providing for adoption must be given a strict construction as they are in derogation of the natural right of a parent to his child.”6 This strict construction leads to two significant problems with most adoptions filed with our courts. First, attorneys fail to provide the type of notice to parents required by law within the time frames required by law. Second, attorneys fail to submit the necessary pleadings in proper form with content conforming to our adoption laws.