Natalie S. French is a partner in the Firm’s corporate, municipal and real estate practices. She focuses on assisting clients with matters related to residential and commercial real estate and municipal law. Natalie advises towns and villages on a variety of legal issues, including zoning, contractual agreements, finance and subdivision review.
Natalie has developed a niche practice assisting individual clients and families with adoption law and fostering. She is an Adoption Fellow with the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys and has experience representing birth parents and adoptive parents in private adoptions, voluntary agency adoptions, interstate adoptions, foster care adoptions, step/second parent adoptions and re-adoptions. While most adoptions are uncontested, she has successfully represented adoptive couples at the trial level as part of contested adoption proceedings brought by the biological mothers.
Natalie is a graduate of the State University of New York at Geneseo and Albany Law School of Union University. Prior to joining Hancock Estabrook, she practiced law at Barney, Grossman & Dubow, and spent five years practicing in Albany, NY.
She is a member of the New York State Bar Association, Tompkins County Bar Association and the New York Attorneys for Adoption & Family Formation (NYAAFF).
Representative Matters
- Matter of J./E. (Tompkins Co. Family Ct. 2022) — Ruled in favor of adoptive parents in best interests hearing brought by biological mother; allowed adoptive parents to finalize adoption.
- Matter of Baby Girl M. (Albany Co. Surrogate’s Ct. 2018) — Ruled in favor of adoptive parents in best interests hearing brought by biological mother; allowed adoptive parents to finalize adoption.
