Adoption and  Second-Parent Adoption

Diana Adams is thrilled to support the start of new families, and pursues adoption for couples, second-parent adoption for the partners of biological parents, and gay adoptions.

Sperm Donor Contracts 

Ms Adams negotiates and executes contracts between sperm donors and potential mothers, with an eye to codifying intentions about involvement or non-involvement of the sperm donor and whether the sperm donor will provide child support. Ms Adams supports protections for sperm donors against unintended child support payments so that this generous act can be legally protected from unforeseen consequences.

Parenting Agreements

Diana Adams mediates and negotiates parenting intentions between non-coupled coparents, three parent families and other nontraditional parents so that expectations are clear and codified between parents to prevent potential disagreements. This process can be celebrated as a covenant of collaboration between parents on happy terms.

Child Custody 

Diana Adams has extensive experience with child custody and visitation cases in Family Court and Supreme Court, and can assist clients with resolving these disputes to a favorable outcome with a minimum number of return court dates and a minimum of hostility for the opposing party with whom the client will need to continue a parenting relationship. Ms Adams' focus is on collaborative lawyering, addressing the underlying needs and concerns of each parent to attempt to find a positive common solution without forcing parents to be adversaries in litigation. When aggressive litigation is necessary, Ms Adams has the experience and aptitude to be a formidable opponent.

Uncontested Divorce 

If both parties agree to divorce and have no financial or other issues of disagreement to resolve, Ms Adams can obtain an uncontested divorce for the parties at a minimum of time and money to allow the parties to move on with their lives, without the stress of any court appearances. Diana Adams offers mediation sessions to resolve emotional and financial barriers to agreement as amicably as possible to allow for settlement terms to be added to uncontested divorce.

Contested Divorce 

When divorces are contested, the two parties have some area of disagreement, either because one party does not want to divorce or disputes the grounds for the divorce, or more commonly because the parties dispute finances or child custody. Diana Adams offers clients sensitivity to the emotional strain of the process and advocates for them strongly so that they can move on in the best financial and emotional state. Ms Adams' philosophy is to negotiate divorce cases to allow both parties to find satisfaction while avoiding the stress and expense of trial, but when this is not possible, to litigate divorces fully and aggressively.

Collaborative Law

Diana Adams is a trained and experienced collaborative lawyer. In collaborative lawyering, rather than pursue an adversarial divorce proceeding with a war between parties, each party works with a lawyer who agrees at the outset not to take the divorce to court, but rather to attempt to negotiate an agreement that will satisfy each party without the expense and emotional strain of court. Ms Adams enjoys the opportunity to practice this more civil way to solemnize the end of a romantic partnership, and to facilitate this four-way negotiation.

Mediation and Divorce Mediation

Diana Adams was trained in mediation skills and Alternative Dispute Resolution by the Columbia Law School and Safe Horizon, and takes greatest pride as an attorney in her continued ability to assist two enraged parties to come to common agreement in a short time-frame. In mediation, Ms Adams meets with the two parties to facilitate rational dialogue to get both parties' needs met. She practices this most commonly in divorce mediation, in which financial and child custody disputes are resolved through mediation rather than court, and then Ms Adams completes the uncontested divorce for the parties at a minimum of cost and tension, with no court appearances.

Child Support 

Diana Adams has extensive experience advocating for custodial parents who need child support money they deserve from a noncustodial parent, even if that noncustodial parent has income that he or she tries to hide from the court, such as by working "off of the books." In addition, Diana Adams represents noncustodial parents who legitimately require a reduction in the amount they pay in child support and who need an articulate voice to explain this situation to the Family Court.

LGBT and Non-traditional Family Law 

Diana Adams was awarded a commendation in 2004 for her dedicated service to lesbian gay bisexual and transgender legal rights, and has since gone on to become a national advocate for alternative families. For more information, click here.

Domestic Violence

Diana Adams has a decade of experience working directly with domestic violence victims to help them move on with their lives in a safe way. Through Orders of Protection, divorce, spousal support or awards of financial maintenance in divorce, safety planning, and extensive knowledge of New York City domestic violence resources and services, Diana Adams helps individuals evolve from victims to survivors. Diana Adams provides unparalleled sensitivity and counseling to victims needing support, combined with an aggressive stance toward their abusers. As well as extensive legal background in this area, Ms Adams has also been a rape and domestic violence crisis counselor and a self-defense/empowerment educator.

Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements 

Diana Adams excels at facilitating frank communication between new partners regarding their financial expectations if a marriage should dissolve. On request, Ms Adams fuses her skills as a relationship coach with her skills as an attorney to create innovative “emotional prenups” as well, facilitating communication between the parties to create agreement on expectations such as child rearing, household chores, outside relationships, and religion—all of which are at least as important to anticipate as pension account division!

Estate Planning and Wills 

Whether you are starting a family or planning for retirement or nursing home care for yourself or your parents, Diana Adams can make sure you have the tools to prepare yourself financially. As the only child of elderly parents herself, Ms Adams has personal as well as legal experience in elder law, estates, and wills.

Advanced Medical Directives and Health Care Proxies 

Everyone, especially individuals who are ill or over 50, should have a health care proxy, which appoints an agent to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to speak for yourself because you are unconscious or too ill. As an alternative or in conjunction, a living will details your medical wishes if you should become incapacitated, such as no artificial hydration or nutrition (feeding tubes). People commonly think that family members will have the right to step in about your wishes without these documents, which unfortunately is not so. Diana Adams can quickly and affordably execute a health care proxy or living will in just one meeting. Ms Adams has collaborated with the Brooklyn Bar Volunteer Lawyers Project Senior LEAP program since 2005, presenting pro bono presentations on advanced medical directives and estate planning to low-income seniors.