Introduction
There is a court case all about you. The judge has decided that you should have your own lawyer.
This brochure is for kids and young people over 10 years old. It will tell you what your lawyer will do and what might happen next.
Why do I have a lawyer?
There is a court case all about you. The judge is being asked to make an adoption order.
Your caseworker, carers and birth parents will all have a chance to tell the judge what they want to happen. They may have lawyers to help them.
The judge said that you should have your own lawyer. Your lawyer will only represent you.
What will my lawyer do?
Your lawyer will talk to you about the case. They will explain the effect of an adoption order and what this means for you.
Your lawyer will also talk to you about what will happen if an adoption order is made. This might include who you will spend time with, how often and where.
Your lawyer will talk to you about what you want to happen and, with your permission, share that with the judge.
Your lawyer will:
- read all of the information about your case
- make sure that the judge has all the information they need to make a decision
- make sure that the judge knows what you want, and
- explain the judge’s decision to you at the end of the case.
Your lawyer can answer questions and explain how the law works.
What happens when I meet with my lawyer?
Your lawyer might meet you at their office, or somewhere else.
What you and your lawyer talk about is private. Your lawyer will only tell others what you say if you agree for that to happen, or if they are worried about your safety. For this reason, your lawyer will ask to speak to you by yourself.
You do not need to tell other adults what you and your lawyer talked about.
You will probably speak with your lawyer a few times about your case, and this can happen in lots of different ways. Your lawyer will talk to you about this.
Your lawyer will let you know how you can contact them if you need to. You can also ask your carer or caseworker to help you make contact with your lawyer.
How will the judge know what I want to happen?
There are lots of different ways that the judge will know what you want to happen.
Your caseworker might have written down what you told them about what you want, or you might have met with a different person who has written a report for the court all about you and the other important people in your life.
Your lawyer might also write down what you want to tell the judge.
It is important to remember that you don’t have to tell the judge what you want to happen, if you don’t want to.
What else will a lawyer do?
Your lawyer will talk to the other people involved in the case to see whether it is possible to agree about the adoption or what is best for you. Sometimes the other people involved in your case will go to mediation. A mediation is a meeting where everyone gets together to talk about you and see whether they can agree about what happens in the future. Your lawyer will talk to you about this.
Other important things to know
Your lawyer has responsibilities to you and to the court.
The judge will let everyone have a say before making a decision.
There are lots of things the judge must consider. What you want to happen is important, but not the only thing the judge has to consider. Your lawyer can explain this to you.
What happens if I am unhappy with my lawyer?
If you a have a problem with your lawyer, you should talk to them about it first. If you do not feel comfortable doing that or it doesn’t help, you can go to our Feedback and complaints page for more information.
Word list
On this page, we wrote some important words in bold. Below, we explain what these bold words mean.
This is the decision a judge makes when they agree adoption is best for you.
Court is a place where the judge works and makes decisions.
A court case is like a special meeting in a courtroom where a judge or other people listen to different sides of a story and decide what to do.
A judge is the boss of the court who will make a decision about your case.
A lawyer is someone who understands what happens in court and can explain it all to you. A lawyer will also help the judge understand what you want to happen.
A lawyer is someone who understands what happens in court and can explain it all to you. A lawyer will also help the judge understand what you want to happen.
Updated April 2025