Hodes, Pessin & Katz, P.A. (HPK) attorney, Tiffany S. Franc, was the Keynote speaker for the Baltimore County National Adoption Day this past Saturday, November 20th. National Adoption Day is a day when courts and communities across the country come together to finalize thousands of adoptions of foster children, honor the families who adopt, and celebrate the successes of these adopted children. Tiffany, who recently joined HPK’s bankruptcy group, is a true adoption success story. Tiffany was placed in Baltimore County Department of Social Services (“DSS”) when she was just three years old. DSS made numerous attempts to terminate her biological parents’ rights, and after an attempt that made it to Maryland’s Court of Special Appeals failed, Tiffany decided to “force the hand” of her biological parents. With the help of a local family law attorney, Tiffany filed a petition with the court essentially “divorcing” her parents, something that had not been attempted in Maryland. Tiffany remarked that, “it was the child behind the Gregory K. case out of Florida in the early 90’s that inspired me.” On the day Tiffany’s Petition was set to be heard, her biological parents finally consented to the adoption. Finally at the age of twelve, Tiffany was adopted by the foster family she had resided with since the age of three.
As part of the National Adoption Day celebration, Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge Sherrie R. Bailey, herself an adoptive mother of a son now in college, finalized ten adoptions. Each adoptive family was presented with personalized gift bags from a 12-year-old who had prepared the bags as part of a service project. Immediately following the adoptions, the families and guests attended a luncheon hosted, in part, by HPK.
To view a video of Tiffany’s 2010 Baltimore County National Adoption Day Address go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z-LJlFT6SA
To read more about Tiffany’s story go to: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/baltimoremomblog/2010/11/national_adoption_day.html#comments
To read more about the event go to:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-adoption-ceremony-20101120,0,2124580.story
