Possible Clues:

• Father recalled adopting daughter, needing energy for unnecessary paperwork
• Predate unusually excessive formality
• Bureaucratic busywork
• About to upset a deputy and copy government bonds
• Bureaucracy that is legally binding
• Revolutionary to stick with old Russian bureaucracy perhaps
• Bureaucratic tangle (2 words)
• Cause of many delays
• Metaphorical obstacle
• Needlessly time-consuming procedures