Sidvactik Tables Filled With Shoes Xucp Savinco! RA NDDLI $94 .to $29w $ 92 °- io $3990 for children - $ 242q0 for children • $6922- $ 142- q $39 90 for women for women $49- $39v _to $6990 for men for men Clearance Tables Great Values! $10°"15" New Adoption Laws Bypass Agencies JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER S outhfield attorney Amy Peterman began 1995 practicing law in an area that was off limits to lawyers until this year. A family and corporate attor- ney for seven years, Ms. Peter- man will now devote much of her practice to facilitating adoptions. She and other attorneys were barred from this domain until Jan. 1, when a comprehensive overhaul of the state's adoption laws took effect. The biggest change in the adoption code is the authoriza- tion of direct-placement adop- tions, where the birth parent can Footwear for the Entire Family Orchard Mai Orchard Lake Rd. N. of Maple West Bloomfield 851-5566 Prices slashed for this great event Dreg SHOES "Serving the community for 38 years" lag Hours: Mon. & Fri 10-7 Tues. & Wed. 10-6 Thurs. 10-9 Sat. 10-6 • SUN. 12-5 OM MO MI • • • • 1121 IONS • GIFTS • s-vp,11 SALE Adoption advocate: Rep. David Gubow 20% - 50% OFF SELECTED ITEMS prior sales & special orders excluded Inside the Orchard Mall • West Bloomfield • (810) 737-4888 r Save an Extra $5000 per person On Your Next Cruise! (7 days or more) L with this ad ORIENTAL RUGS We buy them, sell them, appraise them, clean them repair them and love them! In-Home & Office Carpet Cleaning We have the lowest rates on most cruise lines but you must call immediately to secure your space. Some at 50% Off! THE CRUISE SHOPPE a division of SUMMIT TRAVEL 810 - 932-1188 *Restrictions apply 29214 Orchard Lake Rd. • Farmington Hills S. of 13 Mile Rd. Between Kinkos and Burger King "541111•11 ■ 1 '1111EM ■ (313) 399-2323 OAK PARK OUTLET • 546-RUGS BIRMINGHAM • 646-RUGS ANN ARBOR • 973-RUGS Find It All In The Jewish News Classifieds Call 354-5959 select the adoptive parent in- stead of first releasing the child to an agency. New laws permit attorneys to facilitate direct- placement adoptions and allow the birth parent and adoptive parent to agree to varying de- grees of contact. "A lot of Michigan families were leaving the state to adopt," said state Rep. David Gubow, a Huntington Woods Democrat who introduced several of the adoption bills. "Birth parents also left because they wanted to have a say in who adopted their children. Under the old system it was the agencies that had pri- mary responsibility in selecting the adoptive families. The new system changes that. We creat- ed a dual track, allowing birth parents and adoptive parents to choose to go through a closed adoption system or allowing them to maintain any degree of openness." Many believe the new laws should make it easier for Jews to adopt. "Now, Jewish infertile couples can network with other Jews in Michigan and around the coun- try and be able to choose their own birth parents -- something never allowed before," said Ms. Peterman, who expects to see announcements similar to a re- cent Jewish News classified ad- vertisement. The ad read: "Physician and full-time mom in Chicago hoping to adopt a Jew- ish infant to complete their Jew- ish family." An attorney must complete 12 hours of education on the legal and social aspects of adop- tion, maintain a referral file for counseling services and register as an adoption attorney before acting as a facilitator. Lawyers are prohibited from providing legal services to both the birth parent and the adop- tive parent. Court approval of attorney fees is mandat- ed by the new laws. Before a placement can occur, the birth parent must be given detailed in- formation about the prospective adoptive par- ents. This information comes from a preplacement assessment or home study. An attorney cannot per- form the home study; it must be conducted by a child placement agency. For Esther Krystal, the coordinator of adoption and foster care at Jewish Family Service, the new laws could change the focus of ser- vices which haire been provid- ed by JFS for the past 60 years. Ms. Krystal said the agency may conduct the home studies for attorneys. In recent weeks, she has received an increase in requests for such preplacement assessments. "A lot of Michigan families were leaving the state to adopt." — David Gubow The new legislation also per- mits both adoptees and birth parents to petition the Probate Court to appoint a "confidential intermediary" to search the offi- cial records, contact birth-fam- ily members and ask if they are