Welcome to Bates Adoption Law

A firm dedicated to assisting clients through the legal aspects of the adoption process throughout California

Attorney Lauren Bates

Hi, I’m Lauren! I am a California attorney and I devote my entire practice to adoption cases. After spending many years representing and advising corporations in litigation, I found my true calling as an adoption lawyer after going through the process to adopt my two children.

I started this practice with the goal of helping other adoptive parents through the legal portion of the adoption process. As both an adoptive parent and adoption attorney, I am truly passionate about adoption and am always honored to walk alongside clients through their own adoption journeys. In addition to representing adoptive parents, I occasionally have the privilege of representing expectant and birth parents, and I value the opportunity to provide thorough counsel and advice to ensure everyone is well informed about the legal process.

I also represent clients pursuing stepparent adoptions, relative adoptions, and adult adoptions in California. Regardless of the type of adoption I am handling, I believe adoptions should be child-centered, with decisions made throughout the process guided by the adoptee’s long-term best interests.

Since opening my firm in 2018, I have had the privilege to finalize over 100 adoptions. I am a Fellow of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (“AAAA”) and a member of the Academy of California Adoption-ART Lawyers (“ACAL”).

I look forward to the opportunity to assist more families in this wonderful process.

Learn More About Lauren

Areas of Expertise

  • Independent Adoption

  • Agency Adoption

  • Interstate Adoption

  • Adoptive Parent Representation

  • Expectant Parent Representation

  • Stepparent Adoption

  • Second Parent Adoption

  • Confirmatory Adoption

  • Relative Adoption

  • Adult Adoption

  • Dependency/Foster Care Cases

Bates Adoption Law is based in San Diego County, but works in all courts throughout California.

Testimonials

“Lauren's services were beyond excellent! We couldn't be happier. Not only is she an ultra professional, knowledgeable, efficient and responsive attorney but she is also kind, considerate, thoughtful and patient. She made us feel at ease and made the whole process of filing adoption paperwork easy to follow and execute. She is trustworthy and you can tell she genuinely loves what she does. We highly recommend Lauren to anyone who is looking for a trustworthy, professional, experienced and caring adoption attorney.”

-Oanh

“Being from Michigan we researched several attorneys in the San Diego area before making a decision on who would represent us. Lauren not only had the legal qualifications we were looking for, but we knew she would personally understand the vulnerabilities and emotional rollercoaster that adoption entails. Lauren is professional, meticulous, extremely competent, and exceeded our expectations. Personally, she is compassionate, genuine, and it is evident that she loves her job. As a nurse, I felt called to dedicate my life to helping others. I observed this same passion in Lauren and we will always be grateful for the role she played in the adoption of our baby boy.”

-Sarah


”Lauren was amazing to work with. Through her diligent efforts and guidance she helped make our adoption process as smooth as possible resulting in the biggest blessing in our lives.”

-Phil