Our Team
Meet Our Team of Adoption and Family Building Experts at
Adams, Romer, Stoeckenius & Wotherspoon LLP
Specializing in adoption and family building for 70 years.
I have found that bringing together birth and adoptive families helps children live healthy, happy lives. I look forward to helping you make your dreams for your family a reality.
Karin Stoeckenius
Joining Legal Skill and Passion
Attorney Karin Stoeckenius has practiced exclusively in the area of adoption and family building for many years. She is a fellow of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted-Reproduction Attorneys and the Academy of California Adoption Attorneys, invitation-only professional associations. She was trained in Collaborative Law, which focuses on solving disputes respectfully and without litigation. She has formal training in mediation and alternative dispute resolution. Karin holds a law degree from Empire College School of Law with honors, a Master’s degree in Business with honors from the University of San Francisco, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado.
Holly Wotherspoon
Your Advisor and Advocate
​Attorney Holly Hohlbein Wotherspoon has been advising and guiding family law clients for over 33 years. A licensed attorney who has practiced in both California and Washington, Holly now practices exclusively in the area of adoption and family building. She is a fellow of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted-Reproduction Attorneys, an invitation-only professional association. Holly has extensive negotiation, mediation and conflict resolution training and experience, and has been a featured legal expert on television, radio and Internet broadcasts. She graduated from Seattle University School of Law with honors, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, and trained in advanced negotiations at Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation.
Adoption and family building are a time of excitement as well as challenge. You can rely on me to bring my legal skill as well as many years navigating complex emotional circumstances with my clients. It has been said that a leader is someone you choose to follow to a place you wouldn’t go by yourself. I look forward to sharing your journey.
Our Firm’s Philosophy
Adoption is a positive way to make a family’s dreams come true. We pride ourselves on providing compassionate, top notch legal services.
History:
Specializing in Family Building for Over 70 years
Our firm was founded by Philip Adams (1905-1997), a leading California attorney and author of “Adoption Practice in California,” which was the primary text on California adoption law. Phil was a leader and pioneer in open adoption. Susan Romer became Phil’s partner and provided legal services for hundreds of adoptive families during her almost 20 years of practice. She was active in the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and the Academy of California Adoption Lawyers, and is a recipient of the “Angels in Adoption” award.
Team Approach to Meeting Your Needs
We offer an experienced team approach to adoption and other family building processes, managing your case from the moment you retain our office through finalization. We evaluate the needs of families, and help both birth and adoptive parents to develop achievable goals that meet their unique needs. We continue to offer support to families even after an adoptive placement.
You can be an active participant, developing your relationship as birth parents and adoptive or intended parents during the pregnancy, at the hospital, and in the future. We have found that success is more likely when all parties are full partners in their family building process. We strive to provide an atmosphere of collaboration for all participants.