Building Families

For over 30 years, Dawn has been serving Adoptive, Foster, and Birth Parents and Adoption Attorneys in Tennessee.
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Tennessee 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 Tennesse Adoption Law

Dawn is the author of the legal treatise Coppock on Tennessee Adoption Law.  Click here for information about the 8th Edition.

Save the Date!

Adoption Law School is April 10 – 12, 2024 in Sevier County, Tennessee.
See www.goodlawtn.com for more details.

We Help With All Types of Adoption Cases 

Family of four smiling

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:

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.

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?

Adopted people, Welcome! 

Information on where to begin is available.

Whether you are searching for records or birth parents, want to control who can contact you, or have some other adoption question, Dawn wants to help get you to the right resources.

Do you help adoption attorneys and courts?

Dawn offers extensive resources and services for attorneys and courts

 

    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.

    Dawn Coppock, Adoption Attorney

    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.

    Sam and Rita Grindstaff

    “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!!!”

    The Amos Family

    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 Cameron, paralegal, for information on scheduling an appointment or a telephone consultation.

    Blog & Resources

    Of course, you can adopt an adult in Tennessee!

    This is not a debated or murky point of Tennessee law. You just can. I do 2 or 3 adult adoptions a year and I have for decades.  See Tennessee Code Annotated § 36-1-117(j).  (1) When the person sought to be adopted is eighteen (18) years of age or older, only the...

    A Voice in Court for Foster Parents

    Effective July 1, 2023 Big addition to foster parent's right to participate in hearings. T.C.A. §  37-2-415 (a)(17) - (Public Chapter 263)For some time, the court has been required to promptly notify foster parents of all court hearings regarding their foster...