Rule 47.ADOPTION – EXPEDITING UNCONTESTED AGENCY ADOPTION HEARINGS

Rule 47 is aimed at a narrow slice of adoption cases: uncontested agency adoptions under OCGA § 19-8-4 where the paperwork is done and nothing stands in the way of finalizing it. Once petitioner’s counsel certifies that all statutory requirements are complete, a superior court judge should hold the final hearing described in OCGA § 19-8-14 (e) and (f) within fifteen days. If the judge can’t make that window, the rule asks for the hearing to happen as soon as possible afterward — the “should” language and the fallback provision signal a target to meet rather than an absolute deadline.

Subsection (B) adds flexibility on location. With the consent of the petitioner or petitioner’s counsel, the judge can hold the final hearing in any county within the judge’s circuit, not just the county where the adoption petition was filed. For families and agencies coordinating schedules, that can mean a faster hearing date than waiting for the judge’s calendar in one particular courthouse.

Subsection (C) sets out the exact certification language counsel must use, and that language does two things at once: it affirms that every statutory requirement has been met and the case is ready to be heard, and it builds in the consent needed for subsection (B)’s any-county hearing option — all in a single sentence the attorney signs.