Description
Credit: Sevierville CVB
Adoption Law School
In The Mountains
April 2-4, 2025
2025 Focus: Adoption & Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights
(2026 Focus: Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights)
Learn Tennessee adoption law from the first client call to the new birth certificate with the lawyer who wrote the book.
Adoption Law School is Dawn Coppock’s signature class. In response to requests for even more depth and topics, the class will be presented in two “semesters” over two years. The 2025 focus is adoption and voluntary termination of parental rights. In 2026 the focus is involuntary termination of parental rights.
This popular and much-loved seminar is the only source for comprehensive training on Tennessee adoption law except to read Coppock on Tennessee Adoption Law, 8th Ed. alone. The 8th and final edition is the text for the classes, which will convene in Tennessee’s own vacation destination, Sevier County, in the Smoky Mountains.
What students love is closer to home:
- Comprehensive, up-to-the-minute legal curriculum. You will leave competent.
- Dawn’s practical, efficient, and irreverent presentation style. You won’t be bored.
- 100% of your annual CLE (12 hours general, 3 hours dual),
- 3 days with plenty of vacation time,
- A yoga class for CLE credit,
- Three included light breakfasts, one lunch, and the best CLE snacks ever,
- The community of other good lawyers who care about families.
PLUS
- A new two-term organization, Adoption Focus 2025 and TPR Focus 2026 permit more detailed coverage of the most important topics and the addition of some new topics.
- A new format of 3 class days with 5 hours of CLE each day.
- Tough technical topics are supported by materials, diagrams, and clear explanations then interspersed with panel discussions and community time to keep students’ minds fresh.
- More time than ever before to learn about each other and socialize during the learning day and a designated local spot to meet up happy hour on Wednesday night.
- A Central Time-sensitive 9 AM start.
- Class is dismissed each day at 3:45 pm.
- Class is dismissed on Friday permitting a springtime weekend in the Smokies on your own.
The 2026 session will probably be the last term of adoption law school with Dawn. This is your best chance to learn this practice from Dawn or to have a final comprehensive review. Her seminars often sell out. If you’re interested, sign up now.
Tuition: $799
Fees are the same for paralegals and lawyers. Paralegals may register only with a supervising lawyer.
Schedule for Adoption Law School In the Mountains 2025 and 2026
Location
The Sevierville Civic Center
120 Gary Wade Blvd.
Sevierville, TN 37862
Housing
Classes will be held at the Sevierville Civic Center, a short drive from downtown Sevierville. Driving to class daily from most locations in Sevier County, and surrounding counties including Knox County, is reasonably possible. But most students will want local housing. Everyone can find a fun housing option in Sevier County. There are hotels, resorts, (including Dolly’s resorts), condos, cabins, camping, glamping, tiny homes, and for many, friends who live nearby. The Dollywood resorts aren’t far from class and the Margaritaville properties are just a bit further. Those are pricey but destinations in themselves. Find your happy place.
Playtime
Lunches will be an hour long and the first day’s lunch will be provided to keep us together. On the first night, a restaurant will be suggested for those who want to socialize more. It’s a school night.
Sevierville’s walkable downtown is a very short drive from class and has just enough bars and restaurants for a stress-free night out with the locals. If you haven’t been to downtown Sevierville lately it is worth a look. They now have fine dining, BBQ, and even a rooftop bar.
Thursday begins with a gentle yoga class. That is extremely popular with returning students.
Then Friday at 3:45 pm, class will recess, so you can begin your own ideal spring weekend in the Smokies. Dawn’s April favorite is a wildflower walk, but you do you.
Materials
Coppock on Tennessee Adoption Law, 8th and Final Edition will be the materials. The book covers more topics than ever and comes with more forms too. If you already have the book or purchase it prior to the seminar, we will confirm the purchase and no materials fee will be charged. One book per firm is sufficient to serve as materials for all the lawyers at the same firm location.
Table of Contents & Book Detail
Waitlist
Adoption Law School has sold out in the past. When that happens, we keep a waiting list. Also see the Cancellation policy.
Book early to ensure your place in class.
Health
We hope that health recommendations and pandemics will be behind us in April 2025, so no mandatory precautions are expected. If there is a big resurgence of illness, Good Law will require attendees to comply with applicable CDC guidelines or forfeit their place in class subject to the ordinary refund policy.
Tennessee adoption professionals are bright, hardworking, compassionate, and fun. This informal time together is designed to not only hone our skills and increase our competence but to also renew our energetic optimism and send us all home feeling more at peace.
I’ll see you in the mountains this spring.
– Dawn
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Previous Seminar Testimonials
“This is the best CLE I have ever been to. Dawn keeps things fun & interesting while teaching a lot of technical law.
This is invaluable if you want to practice in adoption law in TN.”
-Blair Kennedy – Attorney & KBA Co-Chair, Family Law Section
“A good, in-depth and practical seminar presented in an engaging manner and backed up with top-notch written materials.”
– M.A. Birdwell
” Contrary to popular belief, adoption law isn’t as cut and dry as it may seem. Adoptions and termination of parental rights can be full of nuance and pitfalls that the ill informed may not anticipate. Dawn’s seminar goes the extra mile to fill in the gaps and provide a roadmap for a successful and adept adoption practice.”
– John F. Weaver, Jr.
“Great command of the topic and illustrations from practical experience. Book provides extremely useful resources for forms and templates. Plain spoken approach is easier to follow than lecturing.”
– David K. Calfee
“BEST CLE I have attended in 14 years of practice!! Clear, concise, entertaining, well organized and informative.
This was worth every penny. Thank you!”
– Andrea Rigdon
“I had to leave but wanted to stay. That has never happened before!”
– Bill Routh
