For families in Waterford and the south-east, the firm has an office at 2 Rose Inn Street in Kilkenny, a short drive away — though most of this work is done by telephone and video, which for families with newborns or young children is usually the more practical option anyway.
An Office in the Region, and Advice That Does Not Require One
Mary Molloy Solicitors has practised from Kilkenny as well as Dublin for years, so an in-person meeting is genuinely available to south-east families without a day on the road. But it is worth being straightforward about how little of this work actually requires it. Establishing who is a legal parent under Irish law, advising on which guardianship route is open and from when, working through documentation for a child born abroad, and drafting wills that address the parentage gap are all done as effectively over video — and the families who most need this advice are precisely those least able to arrange a morning in a solicitor’s office. What matters far more than proximity is whether the adviser works in this area: whether they can state the commencement position of the 2024 Act precisely and with a date, whether they know what can be secured while it remains uncommenced, and whether they raise succession without being prompted.
The Order of Priorities
For a family whose child is already home — the larger group by some distance — the order is fairly settled. First, establish who is actually a legal parent today, because most families have never had this confirmed and assume more than the law provides. Second, wills: succession is the one consequence of the parentage gap that cannot be repaired after the event, and a will leaving everything to "my children" without defining the term is a dangerous document where one parent’s child is not their child in law. Third, guardianship for the second parent as soon as the route is open, which changes the answer at hospitals, schools and passport offices. Fourth, documentation, consents and the evidence a future application would need — including checking that you can still contact your surrogate, since a parental order under Part 12 will proceed on her consent. None of it depends on the Act being 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