A: At your initial consultation, Attorney Schnitzius will assess the complexity of your case and set the amount of the retainer. A retainer is a deposit against future legal work.

A: There are 4 different types of adoptions (list the ones on the website & private adoptions). Courts require parties seeking to adopt to hire counsel. Only in other types of family matters can you typically represent yourself.

A: In an agency sponsored adoption, the agency is matching the prospective adoptive couple with the biological mother and baby. The agency will typically perform a home study.
In a step-parent adoption, the child is being adopted by the step-parent with the consent of the biological parents. A step-parent adoption may also be appropriate if one of the biological parents passes away.

A grandparent adoption comes about due to the death of the parents or placement by the Indiana Department of Child Services in a termination of parental rights case.

In the event that a child is placed with a family, and the permanency plan becomes adoption, Attorney Schnitzius will work with the Indiana Department of Child Services to finalize the adoption. This is what is considered to be a state sponsored adoption.

A: No, you don't have to go to court. Only a small percentage of divorces are finalized in a courtroom. Terms of a divorce can be settled between the parties themselves, between two attorneys, in mediation or a combination of all of the aforementioned methods. To learn more about mediation, click here.

A: Child support is determined by calculating each parties gross weekly income, the amount paid for the child's health insurance (on a weekly basis), daycare expenses and the amount of overnights spent with each parents.