Hello, I'm Randall Hicks and I'm a California adoption attorney covering San Diego Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino Counties (and beyond when needed). My main focus is adult adoption (where the person being adopted is 18+). I also do stepparent adoptions (adopting your spouse's child under age 18) and have even branded one of my law offices as The Stepparent Adoption Center (StepparentAdoptionCenter.com). I also assist with independent adoption and you can learn more about it here. But if you are interested in adult adoption. . . you are in the right place!
My goal is to make adopting an adult affordable, fast and worry-free. To tell you more about me, I'll detail my experience and qualifications. If you decide to give me the honor of helping you legally formalize your family, just fill out the Adult Adoption Questionnaire here or below - click submit - and I'll get back to you promptly to schedule your free, detailed Zoom consultation. If you have not yet read my detailed review of adult adoption laws and procedures, you can do so here.
WHAT IS RANDALL HICKS' EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS?
Let's start with a quick summary, with clickable links which I hope you will follow. I'm very proud of my hundreds of reviews from happy clients, and having the highest possible rating with attorney rating services like Avvo and Mardindale Hubbel.
• 39 years of experience - doing solely adoption cases.
• In 2020, Randy wrote a law, passed by the legislature, that allows adult adoptees to keep their existing parents' rights if they wish, rather than have them automatically terminated by the adoption as under prior law.
• 180+ five-star client reviews and highest rating of "10" on Avvo.com. This is the highest number of five-star reviews of any adoption attorney in California.
• 200+ five-star client reviews on Lawyers.com. This is the highest number of five-star reviews of any adoption attorney.
• Rated AV "preeminent" by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating and achieved by only the top 10% of attorneys nationwide.
• A+ BBB rating. Their highest rating.
• 250+ Five-star total Yelp and Google ratings (combining reviews from each office location).
• Leading author on adoption and stepparenting.
• Profiled on Wikipedia as an attorney and author.
I believe I have more experience in adult adoption than any other attorney in the state. (I guess that comes with doing exclusively adoptions for almost 40 years.) Personally I think attorney fees are too high, so I've always strived for very affordable flat fees, and a short and simple retainer. While most lawyers try to appear "big time," as I've become older I'm proud of being an adoption lawyer whose law practice is "small."
When I first opened my adoption law practice right out of Pepperdine Law School, I was a one-man office. I did everything. Me and only me. And I loved it. As years went by, I was fortunate to become successful. My staff grew and I wrote several popular adoption/parenting books that were featured on The Today Show and CBS This Morning, Sally Jesse Raphael and more. You can check out my books here.
But then several years ago I realized I was burning the candle at both ends, typically putting in 10 hours a day. I still loved being an adoption attorney, just not on the scale I was doing it. So now I focus on just my favorite type of adoption - adult adoption - and I have a Senior Counsel taking charge of the stepparent of minor cases (under age 18).
Please use the button below to read about the laws and procedures of adult adoption. To learn more about my very transparent flat fee, click here. If you have read enough and are ready to schedule your free Zoom consultation, click the Adult Adoption Questionnaire link below and I'll reply to you promptly.
I look forward to working with you and assisting with your planned adoption.
Client Reviews
(Reprinted from Avvo.com)
Professional and Great Communications!
Posted by Brian, December 8, 2025
Great communications and professional during the entire process. I would recommend Mr. Hicks to anyone that requires his services.
When it comes to adoption, Randy Hicks is simply the best!
Posted by Alberto, October 15, 2025
Randy is sweet, extremely knowledgeable, patient, persistent and follows through. We had no idea how to navigate this process and he walked us through it and held our hand os so gently... We could not give him higher praise.
Adult Adoption
Posted by Scot, September 26, 2025
Made our experience easy and understandable. Let us through the entire adoption process and made us a very happy family.
Best of the Best
Posted by Cesar, September 26, 2025
Hiring Randy Hicks and his team was the best thing we did to achieve our goal of having a complete family. Now we have a new member in our family thanks to Randy's hard work and dedication to our case. Thank you Randy.
Made our adult adoption smooth and stress-free
Posted by Michelle, September 18, 2025
I can't say enough good things about Randy. He guided us through an adult adoption with kindness, patience and professionalism.
Serving Riverside & San Bernardino Counties (and also San Diego and Orange Counties for adult adoption)
11801 Pierce St. #200
Riverside, CA 92505
951-787-8300