My son's friend gave birth in June, and has decided to give her baby up for adoption. Can my husband and I adopt the baby?

Please note that I am not licensed to practice law in the state of California, but I do practice in the area of adoption in Massachusetts.

You should probably start by contacting an adoption agency and find out whether they are able to facilitate the adoption of your son's friend's child. In Massachusetts, they would call that an "identified" adoption, because you have identified a child who is up for adoption.

You should also speak with an adoption lawyer in your area.

You should look for a local adoption lawyer. Ask around you might find one who does it pro bono, we did. The lawyer should walk you through it. The only concern is the birth mother being a minor. They might also require the birth father to sign off his rights as well. You will need to fill out tons of paperwork and have a home study done. You will need physicals for both you and your husband, along with fingerprinting and a tb test. You will need several references, who will be requested to provide written references from state paperwork. The state also has background paperwork for the birth mother/father to fill out. Try to get as much detail in this as possible for your daughters future health records.

Please don't stress about it, it really seems overwhelming, but its not that bad. They just want to make sure you are mentally/physically prepared to do this. That the birth paernts are mentally and legally capable to make this decision. They also want to make sure you don't have a criminal record and a safe home.

My husband and I participated in a successful private adoption in 2004. You need a lawyer to walk you through it.