Ted Richard Youmans

Each adoption is different and has different risks involved. During our second adoption we used Ted Youmans and the Family Building team as our counsel to navigate through a long and difficult contested adoption. It was apparent right away that Ted has a huge heart for adoption and a true calling to ...help each party involved in the process. In our unique situation he had such wisdom in walking us through each step of the legal process and he also had great respect for all involved when things were difficult. Being in court repeatedly with him, we could tell he was well known in his field and well respected for how he treats others and practices law. From our experience Ted is at the forefront of helping to define adoption law in cases such as ours. In addition to the legal counsel for us, Ted gave us emotional support and very insightful guidance toward loving all involved. We learned so much from Ted through our journey and we could not imagine not having his broad adoption experience and his encouragement and his wisdom along the way. Also, Ted approached our case in a concise way that considered minimal time and minimal expenses for us. Expenses were clear and time billed was generous from what we expected. Shannon Franck did a ton of the work as well and was a regular support to Ted through the process. We appreciated her willingness to answer our nervous questions and her responsiveness throughout the process. We would highly recommend anyone to use Ted and the Family Building firm for adoption whether you are an adoptive family or looking to place your child for adoption!

Upon the adoption of my granddaughter, my daughter who is mentally ill became pregnant again. Even tho I was a foster parent at the time, the county took my granddaughter away. It took a month to get her back and I adopted her after a year. When my daughter became pregnant with Nodin I got scared.... The county (Bakerfield) told me they would not release my grandson to me and I would have to fight for him. They explained they hated Riverside County and it would take an act of God to get him. I fought and I was the first person to get guardianship of an unborn child in my county according to my grandsons attorney. I did all the paperwork to adopt and the Judge was hard on me and told me I had to have an attorney or she would drop my case. I contacted my old adoption agency and they gave me Ted's name. Ted and his staff (Beth ) are more then words can describe. They are intelligent, communicative, helpful, loving, kind, attentive, passionate, knowledgeable, bright, and aggressive. I could never tell you how much I love and appreciate them and I have worked in the legal industry. If you want an attorney that will stand by you, Ted and his group are the best in the business. The knowledge and respect they have in the community make then a great asset. They are honest and forthright. If you want a group of people with integrity, grit, honor, dedication to your cause, well look no further. They are the best in my opinion. I would recommend them above all.

We were referred to Ted by another adoption attorney and I am so grateful that our paths crossed. Ted was a godsend though a very emotional time and without him we would have been overwhelmed and extremely anxious. His words gave us peace of mind and allowed us to hope. He loves adoption and bringing... families together and it shows! If we adopt in the future Ted will most definitely be our adoption attorney. We highly recommend him.

As a professional in the adoption world when the opportunity to adopt our son came, Ted, was the only one that I would trust with the matters of my heart. And we were not disappointed, we are grateful for the time and commitment to our family. Not only did they provide excellent legal services, the...y were great at calming the fears and helping to wipe the tears of all those involved. Thank you Ted and Family Building to help us build our forever family.