Every family comes to the adoption process with questions. For families who are new to the process, those questions can seem overwhelming. That's where Bonnie Johnson can help.

Johnson focuses on adoption law and for years has been working to help families build successful adoption plans. She knows from experience that the structure of an adoption can be complex, and it takes a steady hand to insure that the legal, financial and emotional pieces fit together.

"I've always believed that success in adoption is more than helping couples to grow their family," Bonnie says. "It's also being there for couples from the beginning, answering all their questions, making any adjustments, helping the adoption proceed as smoothly as possible."

"I want my families to be comfortable from the very beginning," she says.

For Johnson's families, a large part of that comfort comes from seeing firsthand her expertise with the intricate laws of adoption. Financial matters, for one, are often an uncomfortable concern for adoptive families. California has strict regulations covering precisely what type of support a family can and cannot offer a birthmother.

Bonnie defuses those worries by handling all pregnancy-related expenses and working directly with each birthmother, setting up solutions to every financial concern.

Johnson's experience plays a key role in other matters as well, like resolving issues of parental rights. For example, in some adoptions the identity of the birthfather is not immediately clear. In those cases, once more there are important nuances to California's laws, differentiating the rights of the presumed birthfather from those of the alleged birthfather.

Among other strengths, Bonnie is known for her ability to resolve such matters smoothly and quickly.

"Often," she says, "you can judge the success of an adoption by what doesn't happen. If a complication, say, regarding parental rights comes up and we can resolve the issue right away, then the adoption can proceed without a hitch. It's times like that when I'm glad to be there for my families."

Families come to Bonnie at every stage in the adoption process. Because of her expertise, she's able to help those at the very beginning, as they craft their "Dear Birthmother" letter, or those nearing the end, as they prepare for their child's birth.

"I make it my duty to be there for my families at every stage. I'm their guide, their advocate, the go-to person for their concerns," Johnson says. "I keep my cell phone at all times, 24/7. My families know that if they need me, I'm there."