About C.J.
C.J. Lyford trained first as a nurse and later became a lawyer. She earned a nursing diploma from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in 1975, and completed a B.A. in Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania the same year. She then turned to law and received her J.D. from Temple University in 1979.
Lyford’s early professional life combined clinical and administrative experience. In 1982 she worked as a lawyer and manager at SmithKline, a role that placed her at the intersection of corporate practice and regulatory matters. By 1987 she had moved into private firm work as a lawyer at Rawle and Henderson. Those positions gave her exposure to corporate clients and institutional procedures before she established her own practice.
Her memberships reflect a steady interest in family and immigration issues. She has belonged to national and local adoption groups since 1994, and to the American Immigration Lawyers Association from 1996 to the present. She is also an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (membership noted from 1979) and participates in both the Philadelphia County and Montgomery County bar associations.
Lyford’s involvement extends into specialized adoption organizations. She holds memberships in the Delaware Valley Adoption Council, RESOLVE, the American Adoption Congress, Families with Children from China, I-Child (India), and EthiopiaAdopt. These affiliations indicate long-term engagement with international and domestic adoption networks, and connect her to policy discussions, educational programs, and practitioner communities in that field.
She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Over the years her work has bridged medical, regulatory, and family law concerns — an intersection informed by earlier clinical training and later legal practice. That mix has shaped how she handles the paperwork, court procedures, and agency interactions that adoption and immigration cases often require.
Lyford runs The Law Office of C.J. Lyford. The office handles matters arising from adoption and immigration, reflecting her longstanding association work and bar membership. Lyford’s background in nursing and public policy informs her approach to client matters that touch on health, family placement, and cross-border issues. Lyford currently concentrates on adoption and immigration matters at The Law Office of C.J. Lyford.
