By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
In his 12 years as an attorney, Shane Goodale has had many court successes and victories that mean a lot to him and that he will always remember.
But a recent case capped them all—the adoption of a baby girl by his close friends.
“This success is unlike the others,” says Goodale, solo owner of Goodale Law in Haslett, northeast of Lansing.
Goodale’s work usually involves the negative aspects of the law—such as helping people deal with criminal situations they have been involved in, helping manage the stress of accidents or medical mistakes, or helping spouses separate—which usually breaks up families.
“This case is at the other end of the spectrum—I was asked to be a part of bringing a family together, and the part that makes this particularly wonderful is that I’ve known these new parents for many years,” he says. “Because I know them and can call them friends, I know their child will grow up to be a great person, like her mom and dad. I’m lucky to have been a part of this.”
Andrea and Brian Swintal had been considering adoption, and had talked with a few agencies. Then while driving on the freeway, Brian spotted a bumper sticker on the back of a truck, for Grant Me Hope's infant adoption program.
“We called the next day, scheduled a meeting and the rest is history,” Brian says.
The couple’s new daughter Abigale was born September 27 in Muskegon, five weeks premature—and is known as a “safe delivery” in the State of Michigan. Any woman who does not feel she can raise her newborn can leave the child at a hospital, fire station or police station within 72 hours of the birth, with no repercussions or questions asked.
When Abigale’s birth mother made that choice, the hospital social worker called the agency, where the Swintals happened to be next on the list.
The couple got a call while Brian was playing a video game and preparing for his next set of days on flying, and Andrea was attending work meetings on her computer. They assumed it was to remind them about Andrea’s upcoming physical, required by the state—but when the case worker said, “There’s a newborn girl out in Muskegon who is really hoping you would be her parents,” their world was flipped upside down.
The agency wanted to see them at noon in Muskegon and it was already 10:30. The two, who live in Byron Center, made a quick stop at Target for an infant car seat, then roared to the hospital.
They chose the name Abigale: A and B for Andrea and Brian—“and A Big Ale because I’m going to spoil the hell out of her and going to need lots of alcohol when she gets older, and Gale because it’s the aviation term for wind and she came into our lives like a force of nature,” Brian says. “Andrea picked the middle name Grace.”
The couple chose Goodale to serve as their adoption attorney—and the adoption was finalized February 25, in front of Judge Deborah L. McNabb, 17th Circuit Court in Grand Rapids.
Andrea had first met Goodale while working as an enrollment specialist at Cooley Law School a few years ago, and Goodale was a law student. When his son, Will, became ill, Andrea introduced Brian to him—Will died of a brain tumor in 2015 at the age of 10.
“We knew we didn’t want a random attorney for something so meaningful as the adoption of our daughter and it was an honor to ask Shane, a treasured family friend, to walk this path with us,” Andrea says.
Legal News
In his 12 years as an attorney, Shane Goodale has had many court successes and victories that mean a lot to him and that he will always remember.
But a recent case capped them all—the adoption of a baby girl by his close friends.
“This success is unlike the others,” says Goodale, solo owner of Goodale Law in Haslett, northeast of Lansing.
Goodale’s work usually involves the negative aspects of the law—such as helping people deal with criminal situations they have been involved in, helping manage the stress of accidents or medical mistakes, or helping spouses separate—which usually breaks up families.
“This case is at the other end of the spectrum—I was asked to be a part of bringing a family together, and the part that makes this particularly wonderful is that I’ve known these new parents for many years,” he says. “Because I know them and can call them friends, I know their child will grow up to be a great person, like her mom and dad. I’m lucky to have been a part of this.”
Andrea and Brian Swintal had been considering adoption, and had talked with a few agencies. Then while driving on the freeway, Brian spotted a bumper sticker on the back of a truck, for Grant Me Hope's infant adoption program.
“We called the next day, scheduled a meeting and the rest is history,” Brian says.
The couple’s new daughter Abigale was born September 27 in Muskegon, five weeks premature—and is known as a “safe delivery” in the State of Michigan. Any woman who does not feel she can raise her newborn can leave the child at a hospital, fire station or police station within 72 hours of the birth, with no repercussions or questions asked.
When Abigale’s birth mother made that choice, the hospital social worker called the agency, where the Swintals happened to be next on the list.
The couple got a call while Brian was playing a video game and preparing for his next set of days on flying, and Andrea was attending work meetings on her computer. They assumed it was to remind them about Andrea’s upcoming physical, required by the state—but when the case worker said, “There’s a newborn girl out in Muskegon who is really hoping you would be her parents,” their world was flipped upside down.
The agency wanted to see them at noon in Muskegon and it was already 10:30. The two, who live in Byron Center, made a quick stop at Target for an infant car seat, then roared to the hospital.
They chose the name Abigale: A and B for Andrea and Brian—“and A Big Ale because I’m going to spoil the hell out of her and going to need lots of alcohol when she gets older, and Gale because it’s the aviation term for wind and she came into our lives like a force of nature,” Brian says. “Andrea picked the middle name Grace.”
The couple chose Goodale to serve as their adoption attorney—and the adoption was finalized February 25, in front of Judge Deborah L. McNabb, 17th Circuit Court in Grand Rapids.
Andrea had first met Goodale while working as an enrollment specialist at Cooley Law School a few years ago, and Goodale was a law student. When his son, Will, became ill, Andrea introduced Brian to him—Will died of a brain tumor in 2015 at the age of 10.
“We knew we didn’t want a random attorney for something so meaningful as the adoption of our daughter and it was an honor to ask Shane, a treasured family friend, to walk this path with us,” Andrea says.
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