NOTE: This page is provided for anyone who wishes to read about the experiences of families and individuals who have used my legal services for their adoption. You will note that some of the names are underlined which indicates that they have authorized direct e-mail contact if you wish to write them. You can simply “click” on the name in order to contact this person or family directly. I humbly request that you please respect the privacy of these families and be courteous at all times when communicating.

Alison T. - United Kingdom
Adopted: Maya, 18 months – September, 2007

I made the decision to retain Irina at the outset and I never regretted it. In what turned out to be an extremely long and sometimes traumatic process Irina was able to provide advice based on the legal position and her long experience of helping people to adopt. Both were of equal value. She deals with all queries promptly and provides very clear guidance as to precisely what is required by the Russian authorities to avoid any problems/pitfalls. Irina's 'people on the ground' are also very experienced and professional. At the end of the day I have a beautiful daughter who has been adopted in accordance with Russian law and procedures, no backhanders, all above board. I think that is very important. If I ever have the inner strength to do this again I hope Irina will take me on as a client!

Gary and Carissa B. - Florida, USA
Adopted: Benjamin, 18 months – September, 2007

Irina was very helpful and informative throughout the process. She handled all the dealings in a very professional manner. We've had the experience of working with an agency as well as completing an independent adoption and we felt more in control of the entire process with Irina. Thank you Irina!

Steve and Susan N. - USA
Adopted: Ali, 4 years – August, 2007

Irina provided us the documents necessary to complete our adoption. Because of her vast experience in adopting a child in Russia, she walked us through step by step in how to successfully navigate the system. Although the process, at times, can be daunting, Irina had the answers for any questions or concerns that we had. Irina, along with her team in Russia are very professional and work very closely with you to make sure that the paperwork is done properly. The entire process to adopt took over two years to complete. Irina made us aware of the timeframe when we started and she was always available when we needed her assistance.

Paul & Jackie Corteen - Isle of Man, United Kingdom
Adopted: Peter Evan, 16 months – May, 2007

Whilst the adoption process was long and traumatic at times, Irina was there through out providing help and support and professional advice. At critical times i.e. submission of documents and court we were very well prepared and had no problems at all with the documents submitted - this is vital to progress successfully any application. The contacts, representatives and in region help which Irina organized was first class and ensured a smooth and productive outcome on each visit.

Irina's attention to detail was impeccable which was borne out when our various documents were submitted without incident. We would have no hesitation in highly recommending Irina to any other couple embarking on this adventure.

Brian and Melissa B. - Ohio, USA
Adopted: Viktoria, Rufina and Ravilya, ages 12, 8 and 7 years – January, 2007

Irina is amazing! During our long drawn-out adoption process, she was always 100% on our side, supporting and encouraging us to continue and not give up. She put in so many hours working on our case above and beyond what was expected and what we paid for. Her fees are very reasonable. It's obvious she is not in this business for the money. She truly cares about her clients and wants to see the children in Russian orphanages find good homes. We found her to be highly honest and ethical and extremely knowledgeable of Russian Law. I know we could not have gotten through our very challenging court hearing without her by our side. And without her help, we would never have been able to put together the documents necessary to get a court date in our difficult region of Russia. Ms. O'Rear knows the ins and outs of the Russian adoption process and stays up to date on all the latest developments in Russia that can affect families trying to adopt Russian children. She is caring enough to share with all prospective adopting families any news she discovers of changes in Russian Law that may impact them. We consider ourselves lucky that she took us on as clients.

Richard and Mary Miller - Utah, USA
Adopted: Liza, 7 years- October, 2006

We have the highest regard for Irina O'Rear. She helped us complete our dream to add to our family through adoption. She is extremely honest. This became the most important quality for someone helping us adopt after experiencing an unbelievable amount of dishonesty with agencies before we found Irina. She is very professional and knowledgeable. We also found out she is very well respected in Russia by those who support adoptions being aboveboard and done by the law. Needless to say, those people that benefit financially from breaking the law are very threatened by her because she is a well-known advocate of following the legal system.

Irina was a perfectionist (in the good way) with our dossier. Neither one of us are very detail oriented so it was very helpful to have her make sure we had every 't' crossed and every 'i' dotted. We realized in court how important it was as our judge spent a great deal of time reviewing our dossier to make sure everything was in order. We appreciated how quickly Irina returned our telephone calls and responded to our emails. She is very reliable and responsive.

We worked with two agencies before finding Irina. We were very naive when we started our journey to adopt. We began several years ago by finding out about international adoptions on the internet. The first agency we signed up with stopped doing business when they were investigated for fraud. We lost a good deal of money with them. We thought we were being very careful when we signed up with the second agency; it seemed like a very reputable agency. The first time we realized there was an integrity problem was when we were in Russia to meet our child. Just as we were driving up to the DOE we were told to not say anything about getting a referral, pictures and a video of the child we thought was ours. We were being asked to lie! This is when we found out that the Russian law does not allow you to get a referral before you arrive in person before the Minister of Education with your complete dossier. We obviously became very uncomfortable realizing we were in a foreign country breaking the law. Our story is very long, but what we would like to share with others is that when we hit snags in the adoption process we were lied to constantly by our agency. We were completely in the dark as to what was going on. I finally wrote about our situation to a Russian adoption internet group that I belonged to and got many personal replies. Many people shared with me their own horror stories that they had gone through and every single one suggested that I talk to Irina O'Rear. After we contacted Irina, she found out exactly what was going on with our adoption by contacting the officials in the region where we were trying to adopt. We were shocked at the enormity of the lies we had been told. This agency is still in business.

Last month we successfully adopted a precious 7-year-old girl with the help of Irina. There were many times we had considered quitting. We are so glad now we didn't and that we contacted Irina!!! We have an amazing, wonderful little daughter who is adjusting and fitting into our family better and more quickly than I could have ever dreamed. What we know now, that we didn't know when we started, is that it is critical to make sure that the representatives you have helping you with your adoption follow every Russian law. There are too many people in this business that are dishonest. When we started this process we made the assumption that of course everyone would follow the law. Sadly, we have learned that many agencies don't. Even some that have accreditation and seemingly good reputations don't. We have been in contact with many people that have had bad experiences with trying to adopt from Russia. In each situation that we are personally aware of, their representatives have lied and/or not followed the laws. Following the law becomes critical if you hit a snag in the adoption process, which many people do. If every law has been followed you are covered by the law and things will work out for you.

We wish we had saved ourselves lots and lots of money, time and headaches by having started our adoption by using Irina O'Rear. We will be happy to talk to anyone about our experiences.

Sebastian and Alice C. - United Kingdom
Adopted: Alexander – 14 months - November, 2006

We heard of Irina through a Russian Adoption Chat Group. We spoke with her several times and researched as much information as we could before we decided that using Irina was the right way for us to adopt from Russia.

From the beginning Irina was well organized and clearly very knowledgeable about the adoption process in Russia. We were strongly encouraged to read all the paperwork she supplied before we made telephoned or emailed her with various questions or comments, and we would advise others to do the same and always be prepared before contacting her. Irina has many clients but was very responsive and we always felt that our adoption was as important to her as it was to us.

On our three trips to Russia her colleague and the interpreter she supplied were extremely reliable, friendly, helpful and professional in the conduct of their services, making the trips run very smoothly, and efficiently overcoming one or two problems that arose as a result of inaccuracies in the paperwork we brought with us from the UK.

Since we adopted Alexander, we have become aware of how very fortunate we were to work with someone who was so honest and ethical throughout the process in comparison to various people we have met who are adopting through agencies, which appear to work very differently. Irina has at all times been very clear and concise about her fees and any additional costs, and has never surprised us with hidden extras.

We would not hesitate to recommend her to others.

Mark and Deborah Stalley - United Kingdom
Adopted: Anastasia – 16 months - June, 2006

We began our adoption process with Irina in 2004 and from the beginning we found her to be very professional and knowledgeable about the process and Russian law regarding international adoption. She was always very quick to answer any queries we had and her colleagues in Russia were also very professional and informative. We were looked after very well on our trips to Russia and nothing seemed to be too much trouble for either her or her colleagues. We cannot recommend her services highly enough.

McClaren H. and Kay S. Giblette - Utah, USA
Adopted: Julia and Karina, ages 8 years and 4 years – October 2003 and September 2006

Irina O'Rear helped our family with two separate adoption of Russian girls, ages eight and four. These adoptions were approximately three years apart so we will have known Irina for four years in January of 2007.

During this time, there were many situations where she proved invaluable to us. We simply could never have done it without her. Irina exhibited a profound knowledge of Russian adoption law and a wonderful sense of exactly what needed to be done in every tough situation we encountered.

Irina was able to develop a rapport with officials in the Russian Courts and also with the bureaucracies that are inevitably part of the process. Irina's confidence, business-like approach built an appreciation in them as well as in us for her expertise and vast experience with the law.

As for our personal feelings and experience with Irina and with the adoption of our girls, on a scale of one to ten, we would rate it about a twelve.

I can confidently and enthusiastically recommend Irina M. O'Rear for any legal situation that may arise with Russian adoption. (this section written by Mac Giblette)

I would like to second what my husband has said but would like to add a few cautionary statements for those who find themselves working in an independent adoption situation.

There is an absolute need to be as absolutely self-educated as possible on all aspects of the adoption process. Don't expect to have your hands held or to be 'baby-sat' in any way. Be open and honest in your communications; don't be afraid to ask questions or express needs or to admit a lack of understanding.

Irina goes our of her way to be continually updating information to her clients so that they can understand and be as well informed as possible. She is very savvy and personable and really knows her stuff. We truly appreciate all she has done on our behalf and the tight spots she helped us through (this section written by Kay Giblette)

Anyone who wishes to correspond with us directly can feel free to e-mail us. (We only check our e-mails every week or two so be patient).

Kevin and Angie Cloutier - Maine, USA
Adopted: Matvei, 7 years - October, 2006

In Summer of 2005, we hosted a 6 year old boy from Murmansk, Russia, through an adoption agency. We fell in love with him and wanted to adopt him. Our agency completely ruined any chances of our adoption being successful. While they had us believing we were on track with the adoption, Russia believed that we had decided not to adopt at all. In March of 2006, our agencies ineptness was brought to our attention. We had in all effects, lost our son. Grasping at straws, we contacted Irina O'Rear. At the eleventh hour, she was able to secure an extension for our appeal. (We didn’t even know we had had a court decision, this was how little our agency knew).

After over one year with an agency in which we were lied to and mislead to the point where our Matvei was actually offered to another family, we were referred to Irina by several people. Irina was able to undo the mess our agency caused which included winning an appeal in front of the Russia Supreme Court in July 2006. Then she traveled with us to Murmansk and attended court there with us and court in Russia is NOT like court in the United States. I do know if we would NOT have prevailed or even received the opportunity to be in court without Irina's representation.

From the time of Irina taking over our case right up through the court hearing in Murmansk, Irina's professionalism and knowledge of Russian law and culture were invaluable. There is no one I would have rather been with in Russia than Irina. She made us feel comfortable in a country where we did now know how to communicate.

Irina's knowledge of Russian law is second to none. We were told there was nothing we could do to adopt our son, but Irina's expertise proved that wrong. I HIGHLY recommend her. It is because of Irina alone, that we have Matvei in our family now. Without her, who knows what would have happened to Matvei. I cannot say strongly enough how knowledgeable and experienced she is in Russian adoption. If you are thinking about adopting a Russian child, there is no one else to talk to.

If anyone that reads this has any doubt about her ability or true desire to help, please feel free to contact us. We had invested almost 2 years in a process that should have taken a few months and Matvei sat in an orphanage for a year longer than he needed to.

Ralph and Sharon J. - United Kingdom
Adopted: Liliana, 9 months - April, 2006

When we made the decision to adopt from Russia, we predicted it would be a highly emotional experience from the point of view of waiting for a referral, meeting the child and the whole adoption process. We knew we wanted to go the most ethical and legal route that would ensure we dealt with the Russian authorities in the most correct manner. We didn't want to be involved with bribes or backhanders and we avoided all this by using Irina. Irina steered us through the whole process with a steady calm hand. Thanks to her intimate and up-to-date knowledge of the Russian legal system she ensured we didn't panic for long each time we heard of a possible development in the international adoption process. Whenever possible, she responded to our queries and concerns within 24 hours which was very reassuring when our emotions were running high. Irina's thorough checklist and paperwork requirements and constant and timely emails ensured we were always well prepared (as though sitting for the most important exam of our lives!) and this ensured our paperwork was in order for the Russian authorities - her attention to detail is impeccable.

Once in Russia, we were overwhelmed by the combination of professionalism with compassion by Irina's associate. M. was fantastic and we really felt in safe hands with her all the time together with the team of translators and drivers that supported us. We cannot emphasize enough how professional and supportive they were and this is important when you are having to expose extreme emotions and a very private part of your life to strangers many miles away from your home and normal circumstances. We will never forget these people who shared such an intimate journey with us – their kindness, sensitivity and work at times went beyond the call of duty to ensure things went as smoothly as possible for us.

Although our wait for a referral appeared long to begin with (due to administrative changes in our chosen region), things then speeded up dramatically and we met our darling daughter at 8 ½ months and brought her home so quickly (within 6 weeks!), thanks to the quick thinking and prompt acting of Irina and her associate in Russia, that our feet had hardly time to touch the ground. She is a healthy bright gorgeous little girl who has brought love, light and laughter into our lives. Thank you Irina for your guidance and professionalism. There is no doubt in our minds that we made the right choice to adopt independently and we cannot imagine how we would have done it without using the services of Irina.

Peter and Elizabeth Schüpbach - Switzerland
Adopted: Anna Nigina, age 4 years - September, 2006

After all agencies in Switzerland had stopped working with Russia and we had permission only to adopt from there, we were very thankful to find Irina's services. It has been a long struggle for us, not just because of the required Russian documentation, but also because of our own complicated bureaucracy here. Irina gave clear and specific guidance and with some persistent persuasion we were able to fulfill these. This paid off because once we got to Russia, everything went very smoothly, and we had some very pleasant experiences while there.

Our little girl is now home at last and gradually settling in with our family. Healthy and exactly fitting for our family!

The first reaction of the authorities here has been their surprise at how well the records of the child are documented, which I think can also be attributed to the good organization of Irina.

We thoroughly recommend her services so please feel free to contact us.

Mark and Cathy A. - United Kingdom
Adopted: Vika, 23 months - June, 2006

We chose to work with Irina because of her knowledge, professionalism, and totally ethical approach, which is mirrored by those with whom she works in Russia. Her colleagues on the ground were at all times supportive and sensitive.

Our little one is everything and more we had hoped for and charms everyone she meets.

Katja and Karsten F. - United Kingdom
Adopted: Sofia, age 1 year - May, 2006

We have been very happy with Irina's services. There is not anything else we could add to the comments other clients of Irina's have already made other than that we have had a successful adoption, which we could not have done without Irina's professional and efficient service!

Shawn and Secora Murray - Texas, USA
Adopted: Maxim and Kirill (twins), age 4 years - July, 2005

We highly recommend the services of Irina O'Rear. We always felt very knowledgeable and well-prepared every step of the way throughout our adoption process. It was wonderful to work with a seasoned professional. She answered all of our questions promptly and thoroughly, and provided us with excellent legal advice. We are more than happy to discuss our adoption experience in more detail, so please feel free to contact us.

Nina and Rade B. - United Kingdom
Adopted: Sergei Nicholas, age 12 months - March, 2006

At the time we first contacted Irina, which was about a year ago, we were desperate. Our dossier had been stranded in Russia, for just over 10 months, with a ‘facilitator’ who was ostensibly helping us to get a referral and with whom we had a little or no communication at all.

What was clear to us, however, was that our papers were about to expire, and we could not rely on our contact in Russia to provide practical and legal advice we so desperately needed to re-start our adoption process. I was at my lowest; I had nearly lost all hope. It was then that we contacted Irina and asked for her help.

From the beginning she was everything one could only hope for: professional, efficient and always there. Irina helped us re-do and update our paperwork, and before we knew it, we were preparing for the first trip to the region, to hand in our dossier with DoE there.

What a difference a year makes! Here we are, at home with a beautiful baby boy who is now our son; and who has already brought so much joy into our lives. We are a very happy family and will always appreciate what Irina has done for us. She has been absolutely fantastic with all the support and help she had provided us throughout our adoption journey.

Irina gave us a wonderful gift of a child, and we will never forget that. She deserves all the praise people give her, so least we can do is to recommend her services to other people who hope to adopt from Russia.

Steven and Sue H. - United Kingdom
Adopted: Lana Inga, age 11 months - June, 2005

Our decision to use the services of Irina was absolutely the right one for us. We decided to adopt independently as we were not given a satisfactory reason - that would stand up to scrutiny - of going through an Agency.

From our first contact with Irina we always received a highly professional and prompt service. In fact the process was very straight forward. Irina advised us precisely what to do, and supplied us with all the necessary formats of how we should present information – and we did it. When we travelled to Russia we were equipped with Irina’s comprehensive instructions and supported by her highly professional colleagues.

In our daughter’s case there was a 6 month wait from referral to Court hearing due to the complicated case obtaining Lana Inga's citizenship. As you can imagine this was a stressful time, but Irina patiently responded to every one of our numerous emails requesting information on what was happening. When we finally got a date for the court hearing, we felt well prepared as we had very thorough briefing notes as to what would happen. Since we have returned home Irina has provided reminders and help to ensure our post placement report is submitted in the correct format and on time.

In summary we thoroughly recommend the service we received from Irina and her colleagues in Russia, and we are delighted with our beautiful, happy daughter whom we brought home to the UK at the age of 11 months

Mark and Cindie Mayers - New York, USA
Adopted: Ivan Christopher, age 4 - December, 2003

After 7 months of struggling with a failed and troublesome adoption, we contacted Irina for help. Irina was great!! She answered all of our e-mails and phone calls promptly and was very professional, courteous and knowledgeable to our situation.

We contracted with Irina on July 9, 2003; on September 30, 2003 I was making my 1st trip to Russia in search of our 2nd child. I spent a week in Russia and returned home with the acceptance of a 4 year old boy. On December 5, 2003 we received word of our court date. We landed in the region on December 12, 2003 to meet our son to be. On December 17th, 2003 we added Ivan to our family.

We now have 2 sons both adopted from Russia and are a very happy family! The time we spent in Russia was great, we felt very safe, and taken care of. Irina made our trip feel very comfortable. We have been home for 6 months with our new son Ivan and Irina is still there for us if we need her. Irina has been supportive from start till present and we are thankful to her for our new son. Her honesty, professionalism, courtesy and knowledge helped us add another child to our family.

Irina made our dream come true after we put our trust in the hands of the wrong person before, THANK YOU Irina!

Jill and Steven Miller - Illinois, USA
Adopted: Emily Olga, age 10 months - June, 2003

Without a doubt, I wholeheartedly recommend Irina O'Rear as an adoption attorney. In dealing with her, you learn how truly dedicated she is to the children in orphanages and how committed she is to doing everything possible to create families. Even when faced with legal obstacles, her concise and in-depth knowledge of the law is very apparent. Simply stated, she makes adoptions happen... and without the enormous and unfounded 'foreign fees' of the agencies. I have adopted from Russia twice, once with a very large accredited agency and once with Irina. Having experienced both, I can honestly tell you that my adoption with Irina was far more personalized, which allowed me constant communication with her, knowing what was happening every step of the way. She went through our paperwork with a fine-tooth comb to make sure there would be no surprises along the way. She was always available by email and always responded promptly to my questions. Equally important to me though, was the warmth conveyed in her speech and how she understood my frustration and anxiety, as all waiting adoptive parents feel. If I were to ever adopt again, I would not hesitate to contract with Irina a second time. She has proven herself to be honest, extremely knowledgeable, and determined. Please feel free to contact me.

Jacqueline and James Quincey - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Adopted: Gabriella, age 10 months - January, 2003

We used Irina's services to adopt Gabriella (baby girl, aged 10 months) from Russia and we can wholeheartedly recommend her. We chose Irina after receiving many excellent references from her, through independent means. Our case was more difficult than normal because we are British citizens living in Argentina and no agency wanted to help us. Irina led us through the process step by step and dealt with all the problems as they arose. She traveled to Russia both for our referral and our Court date and left us in very capable hands in Perm during our 10 day waiting period.

In short, we found Irina to be very efficient, personable, always prompt to respond to any queries or worries even when she was traveling. She was always honest, professional and moral. She had her finger on the pulse of what was going on in Russia and had a very good rapport with the officials there. As an ex-judge her knowledge of the law and the adoption system is excellent. If we choose to adopt again we would definitely use Irina. Our little girl is now 2½ years old, healthy and happy — we definitely could not have adopted her without Irina's help.

Johnnie and Robin Wilcox - Texas, USA
Adopted: Jenica and Jaxy, ages 7 & 5 - February, 2004

Irina O'Rear and her associates in Russia were the best help we could find for our adoption of our new daughters! They worked very hard to help us finish our family. We feel very blessed by God and fortunate to have been led to this very honest, ethical and conscientious individual and her colleague Attorney in Russia. If we decide to adopt another child from Russia (and we are praying about doing so), the first phonecall we make will be to this wonderful lady, Irina O'Rear! We can be reached by phone at: 806-245-6573

Bryan and Elizabeth Pullen - Illinois, USA
Adopted: Seryozha, age 3 1/2 - February, 2004

Irina O'Rear is simply the best resource a family could have when adopting from Russia. She knows the laws, the people, the culture, and has a huge passion for the children who wait for forever families. She is always above and beyond the call of duty.

Irina is honest, hardworking, trustworthy, prompt, knowledgeable, and friendly. If and when we adopt again, it will be with Irina!

Ian and Leigh Boyd-Livingston - UK
Adopted: Svetlana, age 21 months - April, 2005

Irina does not guess, assume, hypothesise or bluff. It is apparent that she relies on facts, the law and knowledge gained through experience. This in turn has made it easy for us to rely on Irina. We have no hesitation in recommending her to any prospective adopters looking for an experienced, dependable guide and would certainly use her services again.

John and Bobbie Steve - Florida, USA
Adopted: Luke, age 1 - February, 2003

Irina was wonderful. I was literally abandoned in Russia by my agency when their Russian program closed. An email to Irina and the day was saved! We just can’t say enough good things about her. She took our nightmare and made it a dream come true. We found our wonderful son, Luke. Our second trip to Russia when like clockwork. Everything smooth, no hitches. That trip was more like a vacation thanks to being in good hands. I would use Irina O'Rear's services again in a heartbeat! And, we highly recommend her to anyone wanting to adopt from Russia!

Rodney and Jackie Hipes - South Carolina, USA
Adopted: Alexandra and Svetlana, ages 5 & 3 - December, 2002

Irina is a thorough, energetic and professional Attorney. She is always on top of things and uses excellent judgment. Her knowledge of Russian Law is exceptional; this knowledge gave us an extra sense of comfort and security through the entire adoption process. We noticed that in the region we adopted from she was well respected and had rapport with most people that we came in contact with in the Court system.

Irina’s drive was amazing! She was always working very diligently even through sickness. We faced some obstacles when in Russia, especially during the referral stage and Irina worked through all of them.

Most importantly, Irina has an evident love and concern for the children. We could tell that she wants what is best for the children and for the parents-to-be.

We highly recommend Irina.

Sam and Jo Ellen G. - Michigan, USA
Adopted: Alexandre, age 9 months - July, 2002

Our first contract with Irina was to help us get our money back from an agency which had been devastatingly dishonest with us. Irina quickly guided us in writing a letter that resulted in a full refund of the money we had already paid the agency. We were impressed by her promptness, and command of our situation.

We then contracted with Irina to complete an independent adoption. We must be honest and report that our first trip with Irina (fall of 2001, to another region) failed because the orphanage/Ministry of Ed. did not have/or did not show us children whose ages/physical issues were within the range that we had been offered a chance to specify prior to travel to the region. In other words, the region gave us the go ahead to travel, but were not able to provide children for us to see that were at all within our request. This was difficult to take, but Irina encouraged us to move ahead. She worked with the Director of the MoE of that same region to provide another opportunity for us in the near future, and she presented our paperwork to the region, and we received another go ahead to travel in April, 2002. This time we knew that there were at least two children who were within the ages, etc. we had requested. We visited our son when he was 6 months old, and brought him home three months later.

We found Irina to be professional, very prompt in returning emails and phone calls, and very well-informed regarding all the legalities of international adoption. When we traveled with her, she chose convenient, clean but economical hotels for us, reasonable and safe transportation, and was a non-intrusive and courteous traveling companion. She is a 'petite' eater and told us that she is often so intent on her work that she forgets to eat! She has a good sense of humor, and genuinely seems to gain satisfaction from her work. She appeared to enjoy the interaction with the children at the orphanage. It's important to know that Irina does not attempt to enter in to the decisions you will have to make about your adoption, as she is not a facilitator. She will provide answers to your questions, or get answers whenever possible. We found her legal knowledge and advice to be impeccable.

I feel fortunate to have found Irina, for many reasons, but especially for her ability to dispel the adoption 'myths' or limitations that had been expressed to us by agencies we had contacted. Specifically:

Myth 1: 'You can't adopt a child younger than 18 months, if you are over 45 years old.' The truth is, we were over 45 when we adopted, and our son was younger than 18 months. We learned through Irina that there are no governmental age restrictions, as long as the parents are healthy and can provide well for the child. As older parents, adopting for the second time, that was such a relief!

Myth 2: 'Russian adoptions involve a lot of bribe giving and last minute surprises in the costs.' Our experience was bribe-free (we did provide gifts to the orphanage) and there were no last minute bids for more money. Irina helped us complete what we felt was an honest, up-front adoption.

Myth 3: 'Parents should accept that they will have little say in which child they adopt in terms of age, sex. etc.' The truth is, in an independent adoption, you have the opportunity to provide a thoughtful and thorough explanation of the type of child you are prepared to parent. We felt that we knew best what fit our family, and Irina seemed to respect that. I believe that with patience and persistence, you will find your child.

Finally, our son is healthy, handsome, and developmentally on target, even ahead in some areas. We can't imagine our lives without him, and we will be forever grateful to Irina for her part in bringing our family together.

Gerald and Bea Tiritilli - California, USA
Adopted: Lisanna & Nikolai, ages 2 & 2 - November, 2002

We originally contracted with an agency to assist with our adoptions. All went fine during our first trip to Russia to meet our children.

We were told we could return to finalize the adoption in less than two months. Two months turned into several months, with a variety of excuses for the delays. It was an agonizing wait. Finally, we hired Irina O’Rear and fired our agency. Just a few weeks later, we met Ms. O’Rear in Russia, and she went to Court with us while we finalized the adoption. We became the proud parents of two delightful toddlers and we’re pleased to recommend Ms. O’Rear’s services.

In addition to helping with our adoptions for a reasonable fee (much less than our agency wanted), Ms. O’Rear helped us find translation services and related assistance in Russia. Our only regret is that we didn’t hire her sooner!

Steven R Craft - New Jersey, USA
Adopted: Svetlana, age 7 - March, 2004

I am a single male with a long time desire to have a child, especially a daughter. Irina was recommended to me by several sources, so I contacted her as a starting point. She was honest and straight forward. She said that as a single male, an adoption would be very difficult, but it was possible. Throughout the process, she helped me to present my documents in the best possible way. As she told me from the beginning, I did have some difficulties, but with her help, I persevered. I found Irina to be very professional, with excellent contacts in Russia. I personally believe that I would not have a lovely daughter today had it not been for Irina's services.

Terry and Laura King - Louisiana, USA
Adopted: Sasha & Mariya, ages 4 & 11 months - December, 2003

Irina is very prompt at answering e-mail, is very accessible and readily answers any questions. She shares her expertise and is open and honest. Above all, she is very ethical and trustworthy and we had no doubts that our adoption was completed in a legal manner. She is very knowledgeable of the Russian Law and legal system and we felt confident in her representation. She genuinely cares for her clients and works hard to ensure that all documentation is completed in a timely manner to expedite the adoption process. We highly recommend Irina's services to anyone contemplating adoption in Russia.

Sheila and Tomas R. - Tenerife, Spain
Adopted: Elia & Andrei, ages 6 & 3 years - February, 2004

Our adoption experience, using Irina O'Rear's legal representation, was a positive one. She has proven to be highly professional, very serious and at the same time, very caring. We have come to value her friendship dearly.

Due to the glitches with Spain’s legislation, we took about one year to complete our adoption. (Although once Irina had all our documents in hand, the process was very short.)

During that entire year, Irina answered our e-mails we sent on an almost weekly basis, responding to our inquiries always within 24 hours. Her contacts in Russia were also professional and caring, available at our beck and call during our stay there.

We successfully adopted our 2 children, then 6 and 3 years old.

Bruce and Trudy D. - North Dakota, USA
Adopted: Alexandra, age 1 year - November 2003

We recommend Irina's services for Russian adoption. One of our concerns was that we covered all legal aspects of our adoption. In working with Irina, we were impressed with her legal knowledge and how she keeps up with all the changing policies. Irina was very thorough and professional. She also was so prompt in her responses. The most important thing is that Irina and her services have allowed us to bring home our precious Alexandra.

Randy and LeAnn H. - North Carolina, USA
Adopted: Katya, age 11 - September 2003

Adopting Katya was not only our first adoption, but also our first child. Needless to say, we were quite anxious about many things (not the least of which, was traveling half-way around the world to a very unfamiliar place where only a few people speak English). For anyone who may relate to this concern, I'd certainly recommend Irina O'Rear for her honesty, experience, and professionalism. Furthermore, and I cannot overemphasize this, I'd strongly advise you to purchase and read Irina's book: 'Adopting in Russia, Your rights and the law'. If you've never adopted from Russia before, it is not very likely that you could know which questions to ask. Reading Irina's book gave us great insight into the process and, more importantly, it raised a lot of new questions that we were very grateful we had asked in advance. Irina was always very quick to respond to all our questions, which really helped us to be better prepared at every stage of adoption. We have been truly blessed with our daughter and we confidently know that God has enriched all of our lives by bringing us together. For us, Irina was a helpful guide along the way and we are thankful that we were referred to her services when we made the decision to adopt.

LaForest and Teresa Krantz - Michigan, USA
Adopted: Noah, age 1 year - September 2002

Irina assisted us with the adoption our youngest son from Russia in September 2002. Irina was there guiding us all the way. Her professionalism and ethics are impeccable. For a very reasonable fee (the total cost of our second adoption was approximately half of what we paid for our first through an agency) we received exemplary advice and guidance. Never once did we feel uncomfortable with what was happening. She always did exactly what she said when she said she would. And unlike the agency, we always knew what was happening and why. I think the most comforting part for us was having her with us in court. How many of us would go to court in the US without representation from an attorney? When you adopt with an agency that is exactly what you are doing except you're in a foreign country and likely don't even know the language. Strictly because of her, we were able to get the 10 day waiting period waived and cut a 3-4 week trip to a 2 week trip. We would recommend Irina O'Rear to anyone considering adoption from Russia.

Brian and Alysha Towell - Oklahoma, USA
Adopted: Anya & Dmitri, ages 3 & 2 years - February, 2002

Irina and all her colleagues we dealt with during our adoption were not only honest and professional, they were kind and extremely accommodating. Our case was extremely difficult and no one ever gave up or quit trying. When our agency backed out because they didn't know what to do, Irina stepped in. She was not only ethical, but went out of her way on more than one occasion to try and solve our difficulties as quickly as possible for our children's sake. We would recommend no one more than her. Irina is not only the best value for your money, she is the best representation you can get on Russian soil.

Kevin and Kathleen M. - Missouri, USA
Adopted: Lydia, age 14 years - July, 2002

Our experience previous to our meeting Irina could easily be described as 'nightmarish'. Three trips to Russia, several days spent in court and nothing but resistance, opposition and failure. On our second try we had Irina represent us and from the time the Judge entered the Court room until we had the Adoption Decree in our hands was less than two hours. The contrast could not have been more stark, we have seen first hand that her help was indispensable. We highly and unreservedly recommend her!

Neil and Nancy Weber - Washington, USA
Adopted: Ivan, Maria & Sophia, ages 10, 6 & 4 - April, 2002

The services and adoption arrangements provided by Irina O'Rear were excellent. I would recommend Irina to anyone considering adoption in Russia.

Donald and Tammi W. - Texas, USA
Adopted: Christina, age 8 months - January 2004

Adopting Christina was our second adoption from Russia. Our first adoption was done with the help of a facilitator and although we eventually adopted our son Alex, we felt we were very poorly represented and paid far more than what we were told initially. To our surprise, during our first adoption we were asked twice for large sums of cash to pay some 'unknown' people, which was very frightening for us. Often times the communication broke down and we did not know if we would even be able to complete the adoption. We are truly happy with our son and wanted to add to our family, but vowed never to consider anyone who did not operate legally.

We had heard of Irina from discussions on the adoption forums and contacted her to ask about her services. She was prompt in her reply and we felt very comfortable right away with her professional responses. We quickly made our decision to ask her to represent us, we were so glad Irina agreed!

Irina was professional, ethical, honest and is obviously dedicated to her work! There were NO bribes or 'surprises'. She worked openly and honestly and we always had prompt, clear communication. She always kept us well informed. We had heard others express their satisfaction with her services, but we had no idea about the level of professionalism she would give us! What a welcome change from our first experience.

We highly recommend Irina to anyone wanting to adopt from Russia, especially if they are concerned about ethics, she is of the highest caliber!

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