Blog

On Thursday, August 21, 2014, the Family Law Institute, a Division of the LGBT Bar Association, itself an affiliate of the American Bar Association, will hold its annual meeting in coordination with the overall conference. The Family Law Institute, a joint venture of the LGBT Bar and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, allows experienced LGBT family law practitioners to share collective wisdom and to discuss cutting-edge legal strategies for representing members of the LGBT community on matters such as family creation, assisted reproductive technology, ethics, interstate and international parentage issues, estate planning, collaborative law, transgender issues, dissolution of relationships, and elder law.

This Institute is composed of a select group of U.S. and international seasoned attorneys that are selected based on their experience with LGBT family creation, protection, and dissolution. As part of the Institute, I will be joining with Attorney Judith Sperling-Newton to lead a panel discussion on surrogacy and assisted reproduction technology law and how these areas relate to current events and legal issues relevant to the LGBT community. State laws are rapidly changing and evolving in the areas of same-sex marriage, co-parent adoption, and the creation of legal parentage. All of these changes affect how gay families are created. Of course, gay male couples who wish to have children must consider adoption or surrogacy. At our panel discussion, we will cover new and relevant case law and legislation that will address how gay men and women will be able to establish their legal parentage if they are having children through surrogacy. This will be geared for both single and married couples.

We will be focusing on law changes in the United States as well as cross-border surrogacy including the legal needs of gay couples from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America. For example, in Germany, it may be necessary for the couple to have a surrogate from the United States who is willing to travel to Germany in order to appear in the courts and assist the German couple in establishing legal parentage in Germany. There are many requirements and specific details that must be addressed and the details differ from country to country, as well as from state to state in the U.S.

It's important to address the complexities of cross-border surrogacy in professional gatherings such as the Family Law Institute in order to effectively assist international clients in their efforts to have children through surrogacy. The Institute provides a forum for lawyers to discuss changes in the law, best practices, and ethical obligations in order to bring more comprehensive and high-quality legal services to the LGBT community.