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What is Shorstein & Kelly?
Shorstein & Kelly is a private adoption law firm based in Jacksonville, Florida, with a second office in Daytona Beach. Its practice centers on private adoption, and it presents itself as working with two main audiences: pregnant women considering adoption and people hoping to adopt.
What the firm says it does
- Guides pregnant Florida women through the adoption process, including selecting and meeting adoptive parents.
- Provides support for birth mothers, including counseling and medical care, and describes potential financial and personal benefits such as help with food, clothing, household expenses, rent, utilities, and a cell phone and service.
- Handles adoptions for adoptive parents and for stepparents, grandparents, relatives, and adults, plus identified adoptions.
- Lists two attorneys, Michael A. Shorstein and Brian T. Kelly.
Who it is for
- A pregnant woman in Florida who wants an adoption attorney rather than an agency, and who wants to choose the adoptive family.
- Prospective adoptive parents, including relatives and stepparents, who need a lawyer for a private or identified adoption.
Practical next step If you are pregnant and considering adoption, start with the firm's birth mother information and FAQ pages, then call the number listed on the site. If you are hoping to adopt, look at the adoptive parent services and ask how the matching process works, what the expected timeline is, and which costs are yours.
How does the adoption process work for birth mothers in Florida?
For a birth mother in Florida, the process generally runs through a private adoption attorney or agency: you decide whether to place, choose and meet adoptive parents, receive counseling and medical care, and give legal consent after the birth. Shorstein & Kelly is a Jacksonville and Daytona Beach law firm whose page describes that path and says it has helped pregnant Florida women for more than three decades.
H3 What the steps usually look like
- Contact and confidential talk: you call or message, and someone explains options without obligation.
- Matching: you review profiles of waiting families and decide whether to meet them. The page features families such as Courtney and Daniel, Lisa and Jason, and Maggie and Connor as examples.
- Support during pregnancy: counseling, medical care and help with day-to-day needs.
- Birth and legal consent: the firm's attorneys handle the paperwork and court process; under Florida law, consent is typically signed after the baby is born, with a waiting period before it becomes irrevocable.
- Post-placement: many birth mothers receive counseling and updates depending on the agreement.
H3 What it may cost you
The page says adoption is confidential and free to birth mothers, and that birth mothers may be entitled to benefits such as food, clothing and household expenses, rent and utility money, a cell phone and service, transportation, and counseling and medical care for mother and baby. Treat this as the firm's description of what it can arrange, not a guarantee; what is actually paid depends on Florida law and the specific case.
H3 How to decide
Ask directly: Is the adoption open, semi-open or closed? Who pays which expenses, and how? What happens if I change my mind before consent? Can I speak to a counselor who does not represent the adoptive parents? Get the answers in writing before you commit.
Next step: call the firm's 24/7 line or use its "I'm pregnant and considering adoption" contact option to ask those questions. You can also compare with Adopt Florida or a licensed Florida agency, and read the firm's birth mother FAQs on Shorstein & Kelly before deciding.
What financial and personal benefits can a birth mother receive when placing a baby for adoption?
A birth mother placing a baby for adoption can often receive both financial assistance and personal support during and after the pregnancy. On this site, Shorstein & Kelly lists benefits that may be available at no cost to the birth mother, including:
- Food, clothing, and household expenses
- Money for rent and utilities
- A cell phone and service
- Transportation
- Counseling and medical care for mother and baby
The key word is "may." What is actually available depends on state law, the specific adoption plan, and the agency or attorney involved. In Florida, for example, living expenses for a birth mother are commonly permitted within legal limits, but they are not unlimited and must be approved through the proper process. The site presents these as potential benefits rather than guaranteed payments.
What the support usually covers
Practical expenses. Rent, utilities, food, clothing, and transportation are the most common forms of assistance because they help a birth mother maintain stability during pregnancy. A cell phone and service may also be included so she can stay reachable for appointments and communication with the adoptive family or legal team.
Medical and counseling care. Prenatal care, delivery costs, and counseling are typically covered. Counseling can continue after placement, which matters because grief and adjustment do not end on the day of birth.
Adoptive family selection. Beyond money, a birth mother usually can review profiles and choose the family. The site highlights featured waiting families such as Courtney and Daniel, Lisa and Jason, and Maggie and Connor, which reflects that matching is part of the service, not just a legal formality.
How to think about it
Financial help is not the same as payment for a baby. Legitimate adoption support is tied to pregnancy-related needs and is regulated. If someone offers large cash sums outside those categories, that is a warning sign, not a benefit.
A useful next step is to ask directly, in writing, what specific expenses are covered, who pays them, whether they continue after birth, and what happens if the adoption plan changes. Also ask whether counseling is available independently of the adoptive family's attorney. For a Florida-specific starting point, see Shorstein & Kelly.
How can prospective adoptive parents find and connect with birth mothers through the firm?
Prospective adoptive parents generally start by contacting the firm directly for an intake conversation, then work through the profiles and matching process the firm coordinates. On this site, the adoptive-parent path is one of the main service categories, alongside birth-mother services and several relative and stepparent adoption services.
What the site indicates for adoptive parents
- There is a dedicated "Adoptive Parents" services page, separate from the birth-mother side.
- The homepage presents "Featured families waiting to adopt," with named profiles such as Courtney and Daniel, Lisa and Jason, and Maggie and Connor.
- The firm describes its practice as private adoption law, based in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, Florida, with more than three decades of experience.
- Birth mothers are offered confidential, no-cost support, including counseling, medical care and certain living expenses, which is the context in which adoptive families are matched.
How the connection typically works
- Contact the firm through the contact page or the 24/7 phone numbers listed on the site to begin an adoptive-parent intake.
- Expect the firm to explain the private adoption process, the home-study and legal steps in Florida, and what information they need from you.
- Create a family profile — photos and a letter — because the site's "Featured families" section shows profiles are how waiting families are presented to expectant mothers.
- The firm coordinates contact and matching; the site does not describe an open directory where adoptive parents browse birth mothers directly, which is normal for a law-firm model.
A practical decision criterion Ask early who controls matching and what contact looks like. In an attorney-coordinated private adoption, the firm usually screens situations, confirms the birth mother's counseling and legal representation, and manages the level of openness you agree to. If you want to lead your own search, an agency or an advertising-based model may fit better; if you want legal guidance and a structured, confidential process, this kind of firm fits.
For a broader view of how private adoption works in Florida, the state's child welfare agency, Florida Department of Children and Families, publishes adoption information. National perspectives are available from the National Council For Adoption.
What is the difference between private adoption and stepparent, grandparent, relative, or adult adoption?
Private adoption usually means an adoption arranged directly between a pregnant woman or birth parent and an adoptive family, rather than through a public child-welfare agency. Stepparent, grandparent, relative, and adult adoptions are different because the child is already in the family or the person being adopted is already an adult. The legal goal is usually to formalize an existing relationship, not to match a baby with a waiting family.
Shorstein & Kelly illustrates the split clearly: its main page is aimed at pregnant women considering adoption and at adoptive parents, while its services list also includes stepparent adoption, grandparent adoption, relative adoption, adult adoption, and identified adoptions. That is a useful distinction. The first group involves creating a new parent-child relationship and often includes counseling, medical care, and financial support for a birth mother. The second group usually involves people who already know each other.
How the groups differ
| Type | Who is involved | Usual purpose | Main practical issue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private adoption | Birth parent(s), adoptive parents, attorneys or agency | Place a baby or child with a non-relative adoptive family | Matching, consent, counseling, and birth-mother support |
| Stepparent adoption | A spouse adopting the other spouse's child | Give legal security to an existing parent-child bond | Often requires consent or termination of the other parent's rights |
| Grandparent adoption | Grandparent(s) adopting a grandchild | Keep a child within the family when parents cannot care for them | Proving parental unfitness, abandonment, or consent |
| Relative adoption | Aunt, uncle, cousin, or other relative adopting | Formalize kinship care | Similar to grandparent adoption; family dynamics can be complex |
| Adult adoption | One adult adopting another adult | Create a legal family tie for inheritance, care, or personal reasons | Adult consent; fewer custody issues |
What this means in practice
If you are pregnant and considering adoption, you are likely in the private-adoption category. You would look for an attorney or agency that explains birth-mother rights, confidentiality, and what expenses are covered. The Shorstein & Kelly page says birth mothers may be entitled to food, clothing, household expenses, rent and utilities, a cell phone, transportation, and counseling and medical care, all at no cost to them. Treat that as the firm's description of its own practice, not a universal rule; the exact benefits depend on Florida law and the individual case.
If you are a stepparent, grandparent, or relative, your questions are different. You are not choosing an adoptive family. You are usually asking a court to recognize or replace an existing legal parent. The key issue is often whether the other biological parent consents or whether their rights can be terminated. That can be contested and emotional, especially when the child already knows you as a caregiver.
Adult adoption is the outlier. It does not involve raising a child. It is typically about creating a legal relationship between two adults, which can affect inheritance, next-of-kin status, or care decisions. It is usually simpler procedurally, but it still requires a court process and the adoptee's consent.
A practical next step: if you are pregnant, ask an adoption attorney what support you can receive and whether you can choose and meet the adoptive parents. If you are a stepparent or relative, ask whether the other parent will consent and what evidence the court will require if they do not. Those two questions separate the private-adoption path from the family-adoption path more than any other factor.
How do I choose an adoptive family for my baby and what role do waiting families play?
Choosing an adoptive family is a matching process, not a first-come decision. In a private adoption, you can typically review profiles of waiting families, decide what matters most to you, and then meet or speak with the ones who feel right. Waiting families are the prospective adoptive parents who have already been screened and are hoping to be chosen; their profiles exist so you can compare them on your own terms rather than being assigned a family.
On Shorstein & Kelly, the birth-mother side of the site frames this as your decision: it lists topics such as the types of private baby adoptions, selecting and meeting adoptive parents, and handling day-to-day pregnancy challenges, and it shows featured waiting families (for example, Courtney and Daniel, Lisa and Jason, and Maggie and Connor) with photos you can tap to meet them. The site also says birth mothers may be entitled to benefits such as food, clothing and household expenses, rent and utility money, a cell phone and service, transportation, and counseling and medical care, at no cost to the birth mother. Treat those as this firm's stated offerings, and confirm the details that apply in your state directly with them.
How to compare waiting families
- Decide your non-negotiables first: openness to contact after placement, religious or cultural background, family size, parenting style, location, and whether siblings exist.
- Read profiles for substance, not presentation: how they describe their reasons for adopting, their support network, and how they handle difficulty.
- Ask about openness in concrete terms: letters and photos, scheduled updates, or in-person visits, and who keeps that agreement.
- Meet more than one family if you can. A phone call or video chat reveals more than a photo page.
- Ask what happens if you change your mind, and what counseling and legal support you get regardless of your choice.
What waiting families do and don't control
Waiting families have completed an approval process and are actively hoping to adopt, so they are a real option rather than a hypothetical one. But they do not decide the match, and their profile is marketing as much as information. Your attorney or agency should present options and explain the process; the choice of family is yours. If you are also exploring adoption from the adoptive-parent side, the same site lists services for adoptive parents, stepparent, grandparent, relative, adult, and identified adoptions, which shows how differently these cases are handled.
A practical next step: write down your top three criteria and your feelings about post-placement contact before you look at any profiles, then contact the firm at the number listed on its site to ask which waiting families match those criteria and what support is provided to you. For a second perspective on your rights and options, you can also consult Child Welfare Information Gateway, a federal information source on adoption.
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