Independent profile — not affiliated with Adoption Network Law Center
Adoption Network Law Center
Adoption Network Law Center (ANLC) is a Lake Forest, California adoption business that describes itself as a professional law corporation connecting birth parents and adoptive parents nationwide. It traces back to a company called "Adoption Network" founded in 1996; the current law-corporation structure and its BBB A+ accreditation both date to 1996. ANLC's predecessor entity settled a 2006 Orange County District Attorney civil action, and ANLC itself settled a 2013–2014 Illinois Attorney General/DCFS lawsuit over unlicensed advertising to Illinois residents — both without admission of wrongdoing. Two complaints on this site, plus others found on ComplaintsBoard, describe adoptive parents being refused refunds of $7,500–$20,000+ in fees after a matched birth mother changed her mind.
Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints
USAComplaints currently maintains 1 historical complaint about Adoption Network Law Center, published in 2004. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.
Complaint Themes
Independent Sources
Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.
Contacts
- Phone: (800) 367-2367
- Website: https://adoptionnetwork.com/
Locations
| Type | Address |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 23792 Rockfield Blvd, Ste 180 Lake Forest CA 92630 |
What Is Adoption Network Law Center?
Adoption Network Law Center (ANLC) is headquartered at 23792 Rockfield Blvd, Ste 180, Lake Forest, CA, and describes itself as a California professional law corporation providing nationwide domestic newborn adoption services, connecting expectant/birth mothers with prospective adoptive parents. It has been BBB-accredited since August 22, 1996, and currently carries an A+ BBB rating.
The business traces back to a company called "Adoption Network" founded in 1996 by Allan and Carol Gindi. According to TIME's 2021 investigation into the private-adoption industry, ANLC states it has "worked on over 6,000 adoptions" and describes itself as "the largest law corporation in the nation providing adoption services." A 2021 ANLC agreement reviewed by TIME showed prospective adoptive parents charged more than $25,000 in fees, not including legal costs or other add-ons; former employees told TIME the total can more than double that.
Is Adoption Network Law Center Legitimate?
ANLC has two documented settlements with government authorities, both resolved without an admission of wrongdoing:
- In 2006, the Orange County District Attorney settled a civil action against the business's founders, Allan and Carol Gindi, over conduct while operating under the name "Adoption Network, Inc." (later "Promedia, Inc.") — including operating as a law firm without an attorney on staff and misrepresenting Carol Gindi's credentials. They paid $100,000 and accepted an injunction. This settlement legally names a predecessor company, not the "Adoption Network Law Center" law corporation that exists today, though independent reporting treats them as a continuous operation.
- In 2013–2014, the Illinois Attorney General and Illinois DCFS sued Adoption Network Law Center directly, alleging unlicensed advertising and placement activity aimed at Illinois residents. The parties reached a consent decree in July 2014 under which ANLC registered as an out-of-state law corporation with Illinois DCFS and agreed to restrictions on Illinois-directed advertising and placements.
On current ownership and attorney supervision: individuals publicly tied to ANLC's leadership over the years show mixed California State Bar status as of this writing. Kristin A.F. Yellin (Bar #177191, admitted 1995), who described herself as ANLC's president/chief legal counsel from 2007 to 2018, is currently listed by the State Bar as an inactive licensee. David J. Harris Jr. (Bar #286204, admitted 2012) is listed as an active California attorney and appears in BBB's business-management field for ANLC, but his State Bar address of record is a separate San Diego firm (Harris LLP), not ANLC's Lake Forest office. This research could not independently confirm who currently owns or serves as attorney of record for ANLC from a single authoritative source — readers relying on "attorney-supervised" marketing claims should verify current bar status themselves via the California State Bar's public Attorney Licensee Search.
Separately, California's Adoption Facilitator Program — a state registration some non-attorney adoption intermediaries needed — was repealed in 2023 (AB 120). No California Department of Social Services adoption-agency license or facilitator registration record was found for ANLC in this research; this is consistent with it operating as an attorney-run "independent adoption" law practice, a category state law treats differently from licensed adoption agencies, though this was not confirmed directly with CDSS.
Before You Pay Adoption Network Law Center
Get the refund/rollover policy for matching fees in writing before paying. ANLC's own contract language has reportedly stated that "all money paid is considered earned" once paid, which has led to disputes when a matched birth mother changed her mind and adoptive parents sought a refund or expected the fee to roll over automatically to a new match.
Confirm which legal entity you are actually contracting with and who is currently licensed to supervise your case — this business has operated under more than one corporate name since 1996 (see Legitimacy section above) — and verify any named attorney's current, active status on the California State Bar's public Attorney Licensee Search before relying on "attorney-supervised" claims.
If your adoption involves more than one state, ask specifically how the placement is licensed or registered in the state where the birth parent or adoptive parent resides; Illinois required ANLC to register separately after a 2013–2014 enforcement action (see above), so state-specific rules can differ from what a national provider's marketing implies.
Court & Public Records
| Case | Authority | Dates | Type | Outcome | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange County District Attorney civil action v. Allan Gindi & Carol Gindi (operating as Adoption Network, Inc., later Promedia, Inc.) | Superior Court of California, County of Orange | — | Settled | Settled The Orange County District Attorney's Office alleged 11 violations of the Business & Professions Code by Allan and Carol Gindi while operating an adoption-facilitation business under the name "Adoption Network, Inc." (by the time of settlement renamed Promedia, Inc.), including operating as a law firm without an attorney on staff, falsely advertising Carol Gindi's nursing/UCLA credentials, and using misleading "retainer agreement" language. The Gindis agreed to pay $100,000 to the County of Orange and accepted an 11-point injunction (lettered A–K) barring the false credential claims and other cited practices, without admitting wrongdoing. This settlement predates the "Adoption Network Law Center" professional law corporation that operates today; independent reporting (TIME) treats them as the same underlying business under new legal form, but the official record itself names the defendant entity only as "Adoption Network, Inc."/"Promedia, Inc." | Source |
| Illinois Attorney General & Illinois DCFS v. Adoption Network Law Center | Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois | Settled | Settled In October 2013 the Illinois Attorney General's office and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) sued Adoption Network Law Center, alleging it advertised and offered adoption placement services targeted at Illinois residents without being licensed or registered in that state; ANLC was reportedly the only one of about a dozen online adoption providers sent a 2013 cease-and-desist letter that did not comply. The parties reached a consent decree on July 11, 2014: ANLC registered with Illinois DCFS as an out-of-state law corporation, agreed to stop Illinois-targeted advertising and to not work directly with Illinois-based birth parents, and the decree stated no findings of fault, liability, or wrongdoing by either side. | Source |
Company Relationships
- Affiliated with: Promedia, Inc. (formerly Adoption Network, Inc.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Adoption Network Law Center a law firm or an adoption agency?
ANLC describes itself as a California professional law corporation, not a licensed California adoption agency. Some third-party directories (including BBB, under the "Adoption Agencies" category) list it alongside adoption agencies, but no CA Department of Social Services adoption-agency license or facilitator registration for ANLC was found during this research — consistent with it operating as an attorney-run independent-adoption practice, a category state law treats separately from licensed agencies.
Does Adoption Network Law Center refund fees if a match falls through?
Complainants describe being told fees are non-refundable once paid, even when a matched birth mother changes her mind. In one ComplaintsBoard case and a matching complaint on this site (December 2009), an adoptive parent said ANLC kept a $9,800 payment, citing contract language that "all money paid is considered earned," and offered only an unfulfilled promise that it would roll over to a future match. This is the complainant's account, not an independently verified finding, but it recurs across multiple separate complaints.
Was Adoption Network Law Center sued by a state attorney general?
Yes. The Illinois Attorney General and Illinois DCFS sued ANLC in October 2013 over advertising and placement activity aimed at Illinois residents without state licensure. A July 2014 consent decree required ANLC to register as an out-of-state law corporation with Illinois DCFS and restricted its Illinois-directed advertising and placements; the decree included no finding of fault or wrongdoing by either side.