Question 1

What should I have ready for a first conversation?

Accepted Answer

Less than you might think, and none of it is a document. Whether the child has been born, and where. Whether there is a genetic link to either intending parent. Whether the arrangement was domestic or in another country, and which country. Whether any foreign order or birth certificate exists. Whether anyone has guardianship or a declaration of parentage already. Whether there is a will in place, and when it was made. And what is actually worrying you most - because for some families that is passports and travel, for others it is medical consent or school, and for others again it is what happens if something happens to one of us. Those different worries lead to genuinely different first steps.

Question 2

Can we talk before we decide anything?

Accepted Answer

That is usually the most valuable time to talk, and it is the conversation people most often postpone. Once money has been committed, a jurisdiction chosen, a clinic engaged or an agreement signed, some decisions become difficult or expensive to unwind - and a few affect whether your arrangement will fit the framework in the 2024 Act when it commences, particularly the requirements around genetic link and non-commercial arrangements. An hour spent before those decisions is worth considerably more than the same hour afterwards.

Question 3

Our child was born years ago and we have been waiting for the law. Is it too late?

Accepted Answer

It is not too late, and waiting has probably cost you more than you realise. A great many families were told legislation was imminent and have organised their lives around that expectation for years, with the second parent holding no legal status throughout. The useful question is not when the Act will commence - nobody can tell you - but what can be secured now that does not depend on it: whatever parentage or guardianship status is available, proper wills that deal with the gap explicitly, consents and authorities for medical and school matters, and clear documentation of intention. Most of that can be substantially improved in a matter of weeks.

Question 4

Is the first conversation confidential?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and nothing about any family, child, surrogate or arrangement appears anywhere on this website or in any marketing - there are no case studies here, no composites and no illustrative examples, and that is deliberate. These are children and families, and the detail is theirs. A first conversation is about establishing where you stand and what the options are; fees for any work that follows are agreed in writing at the outset. In contentious business, a solicitor may not calculate fees or other charges as a percentage or proportion of any award or settlement.

Question 5

Do we need to come to Dublin?

Accepted Answer

No. Consultations are conducted by telephone or video as readily as in person, which for this area is genuinely practical rather than a concession - a good deal of this work involves families who are abroad, families with a very young baby, or families for whom travelling to a solicitor with children in tow is the last thing they need. Where you would prefer to meet, the Dublin office is at The Ormond Building on Ormond Quay Upper, and the firm also has an office at 2 Rose Inn Street in Kilkenny. All enquiries go through the Dublin number and email.

Contact

Dublin

Kilkenny

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Getting Started - FAQs