For families in Galway and across the west, the practical question is rarely where a solicitor sits. It is whether the adviser works in this area, can state the commencement position of the 2024 Act precisely, and knows what can be secured while it remains uncommenced.
National Law, Delivered Wherever You Are
Surrogacy and parentage is national law. Establishing who is a legal parent, advising on guardianship and when the route opens, working through documentation for a child born abroad, and drafting wills that address the parentage gap are all done as effectively by video as in a room — and often more conveniently, given that the families who most need this advice are managing newborns, young children, or a stay abroad waiting on travel documents. That matters more in the west than in Dublin for an obvious reason: a family in Connemara or Mayo who assumed they would have to travel for a full day to take advice frequently postpones it, and postponement in this area is expensive. Where a court application is required, venue is handled as the case requires. Where a family would prefer to meet in person, the firm’s offices are in Dublin 7 and Kilkenny.
What to Do, and When
If you are considering surrogacy, take Irish advice before money is committed, a jurisdiction chosen or a clinic engaged. Decisions about genetic arrangements, payment structure and destination all carry Irish consequences, several of them difficult to unwind, and they determine whether an arrangement would fit the statutory scheme if commencement happens mid-journey. If your child is already born — the larger group — the priorities are establishing what status each parent can hold today, securing guardianship for the second parent as soon as the route is available, sorting documentation, checking you can still contact your surrogate, and making wills that name the child expressly rather than relying on the phrase "my children". Families who were told to wait for legislation have in many cases waited years with the second parent holding no legal status at all, and none of the list above requires the Act to be commenced.
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