The firm’s Dublin office is at The Ormond Building on Ormond Quay Upper, a short walk from the Four Courts — though in this area the location of the office matters considerably less than it does in most practice areas, because a great deal of the work is done by telephone and video with families who are abroad, exhausted, or managing a newborn.
A National Specialism That Happens to Be Based Here
Surrogacy and parentage work is not local practice. The questions are questions of Irish national law, the families are dispersed across the country and frequently outside it, and the matters that arise — establishing who is a legal parent, guardianship applications, documentation for a child born abroad, wills that address the parentage gap — do not vary by county. What you need is not a solicitor near you; it is a solicitor who works in this area and can tell you plainly where you stand. That said, Dublin does concentrate certain things: the largest number of families formed this way, the fertility clinics, the passport and consular processes, and the Circuit Court venue for many applications. And where a family does want to sit down in a room, The Ormond Building is central and straightforward to reach by Luas or bus.
What Dublin Families Typically Come With
Two situations, recurring. The first: a couple considering surrogacy, usually international, who have found agencies and clinics easily and Irish legal advice much less easily, and who want to understand the Irish consequences before committing money — which is exactly the right instinct and exactly the right moment. The second, and more common: a family whose child came home some time ago, who were told legislation was imminent, and who have done nothing legally since. Their child is at school. The second parent has no status. The wills, if they exist, predate the family. That second group is frequently surprised how much can be done that does not depend on the Act being commenced — establishing what each parent can hold now, securing guardianship, and above all making wills that name the child expressly rather than relying on the word "children".
Two Free Tools Before You Call
The Surrogacy Route Check is for people considering surrogacy: what each route means under Irish law as it stands. The Legal Parentage Checker is for families whose child is already born: who is a legal parent today, and what to put in place meanwhile. Both run entirely on your device — nothing is stored or sent.
Where Does Your Family Stand?
Whether the child is born, whether there is a genetic link, which country, and what documents exist. Those four answers shape everything - and most families have never had their position confirmed.
Call 01 5827148