Building Families
For over 30 years, Dawn has been serving Adoptive, Foster, and Birth Parents and Adoption Attorneys in Tennessee. Make An AppointmentTennessee Adoption Attorney
Dawn Coppock is Tennessee’s Leading Adoption Attorney. She represents adoptive parents, foster parents, birth parents, relatives, and occasionally agencies in all legal matters related to adoption.
Dawn is experienced, competent, easy to talk with, diligent and sensitive to delicate adoption issues.
Dawn is on the executive committee of the Tennessee Bar Association Adoption Committee and is a member of many other professional organizations. She trains other lawyers, judges and adoption professionals, consults with other lawyers, and is a certified Rule 31 Family Law Mediator.
Coppock on Tennessee Adoption Law
Dawn is the author of the legal treatise Coppock on Tennessee Adoption Law. Click here for information about the 8th Edition.
See the Tennessee Bar Journal Book Review!
Save the Date!
Adoption Law School
April 2-4, 2025 – Focus: Adoption & Voluntary Termination
April 15-17, 2026 – Focus: Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights
Sevierville, TN
See www.goodlawtn.com for more details.
We Help With All Types of Adoption Cases
How Can An Adoption Attorney Help Me?
Do you help with my type of adoption case?
Dawn’s practice is based in Strawberry Plains, Knox County, Tennessee. Her usual practice area is from the eastern edge of the state to middle Tennesee and includes Johnson City, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville.
Dawn helps families with:
- Step Parent & Relative Adoption
- Private or Independent Adoption
- Foster Parent Adoption and related concerns
- State Agency (DCS) Adoption Finalizations
- Adoption Subsidy Disputes
- Contested Adoptions
- Interstate Adoptions (ICPC)
- Agency Adoption Finalizations
- Termination of Parental Rights
- Adult Adoptions
- Appeal of Termination and Adoption cases
- International Adoption and Re-adoption
- Post Adoption Contact Agreement negotiations
What is your approach to adoption cases?
Ensuring the security of the child you love in your home is one of the most important jobs any attorney can undertake.
Dawn takes a methodical, conservative approach to insure that your child is permanently secure in your home. Dawn also takes an aggressive stance in contested litigation because if you seek the child’s best interest, you don’t need to be timid. And if what you seek is not in the child’s best interest, you don’t need to call Dawn.
Do you work with prospective adoptive parents?
Adoptive parents, Welcome!
Most of Dawn’s clients are prospective adoptive parents like you.
Let’s get you to the information you are looking for.
- Couples and singles seeking an adoption opportunity.
- People with children in their home like:
- Those connected with pregnant birth mothers
- and even those who want to adopt adults.
Do you support birth parents in adoption cases?
Birth parents, Welcome!
Information on where to begin is offered if:
You are considering or want to place your child for adoption.
Your child is out of your home and you want information about your choices or to stop a planned adoption.
You placed a child for adoption some time ago and you want to find the child or information about the child, or the adoption.
Do you help people who have been adopted?
Do you help adoption attorneys and courts?
Dawn offers extensive resources and services for attorneys and courts.
- Consulting with lawyers on adoption cases
- Mediation of matters regarding children
- Her book, Coppock on Tennessee Adoption Law, 7th Edition
- Adoption law seminars for lawyers by her company, Good Law
- Free resources for lawyers and judges:
- Tennessee adoption law information,
- Tennessee state forms,
- Dawn’s PACA forms
- Legal articles, and
- Dawn’s blog for lawyers and judges.
About Dawn Coppock
Tennessee Adoption Attorney, Author, and Teacher
Nothing is closer to the bone than family. You must feel comfortable with the competence, values and ethics of your lawyer before you place the creation of your family in their hands. You may want to get to know Dawn a little. That’s fair.
In 1997, Dawn wrote the book on Tennessee Adoption law. She’s kept it up-to-date ever since. Coppock on Tennessee Adoption Law is now in its 8th edition and is the go-to adoption law resource for judges and lawyers in Tennessee.
For years, Dawn has been training lawyers, judges, prospective adoptive parents, students, community groups, public and private adoption agencies and has been a media resource regarding adoption law and child welfare.
Testimonials From Dawn’s Clients
“Dawn provided us the wisdom of a trusted family friend, the knowledge of an expert in her field, and unparalleled compassion in some of the most trying moments of our lives. She is unflinchingly honest and a consummate professional. Her instincts for people and situations are sharp. She is experienced and she is dedicated. We hold her in the highest regard as an essential part of our family’s story.”
Former Client
“Dawn Coppock represented us during all four of our adoptions, and we never had to worry about anything being overlooked. She and her staff are extremely meticulous and pay attention to every detail, and are also very caring and compassionate. Dawn walked with us through every step of the legal process, and rejoiced with us and our four blessings when our adoptions were finalized. We are thankful for her knowledge and expertise, and have recommended her to our friends.“
“Tony and I would not consider using anyone but the Dawn Coppock team. Adoption is a scary and stressful process, and to know that you have an experienced, and caring team that is watching out for every aspect with your family’s interests at heart, is a Godsend. They Are Amazing!!!”
Dawn is Ready to Help with Your Unique Adoption Case
If you are a prospective adoptive parent(s) or a birth parent residing in the State of Tennessee, or if the adoptive or birth parents in your case resides in Tennessee, or if you are a Tennessee family beginning the adoption process or are otherwise in need of Tennessee legal services related to adoption: please contact Angela Newsome, paralegal, for information on scheduling an appointment or a telephone consultation.