Welcome!
Welcome to the Law Office of Elizabeth Swire Falker, Esq., PLLC. My name is Liz (I am sometimes known as The Stork Lawyer® ), and I am a former infertility patient whose life was transformed as a result of a near ten-year quest to become a parent. During my time as an infertility patient well over 20 years ago, there were no resources for people going through assisted reproduction. Other than a few chat boards, there was very little written about infertility and what its treatment entailed. Having taken time off from my career as a commercial litigator to go through multiple IUI and IVF cycles, and with too much time on my hands, I wound up writing my own guide to infertility. Much to my surprise The Infertility Survival Handbook (Riverhead) was published and turned into something of a “cult classic” (or so I am told)! While on my book tour promoting The Infertility Survival Handbook, someone came up to me and asked if I ever thought about writing egg donation contracts. I asked if that was something I could do at home with a baby (answer YES), and my career as a reproductive lawyer was born! In the 20+ years I have been practicing reproductive law, I have had the privilege of helping well-over Two Thousand families grow. It is an often-overwhelming process and can be prohibitively expensive.
I understand that because I lived it.
My office is not a traditional law firm. I do not carry a large volume of clients because I really want to be able to dedicate myself to the people I help. Because of my own personal experiences becoming a parent, it is my mission to provide compassionate and personalized legal services.
I know first-hand the difficulties individuals and couples face when trying to build a family using assisted reproductive technologies. I lived through the financial and emotional challenges you are facing. My commitment is not just to intended parents, however. My respect for and appreciation of what donors and gestational surrogates do is profound. I would not have my family without the help of very special people.
My commitment to my clients, whether they are intended parents or the donor or the surrogate who is helping them become a parent, is steadfast. In order to do that, I maintain a small, selective group of clients for whom I will work extremely hard to help achieve their dream, whether it is becoming a family or helping to create one.
Third-party assisted reproduction arrangements, like egg and sperm donation or gestational surrogacy, present unique legal challenges. Among the many issues you need an attorney to assist you with are those surrounding confidentiality and anonymity, informed consent, future contact, and the financial arrangements — including understanding the escrow management process for holding funds related to your journey. New York recently adopted a new statute, The Child Parent Security Act, legalizing surrogacy in New York for the first time. It is—IMHO—one of the best surrogacy statutes in the United States. But there is no doubt that it can be overwhelming to navigate, especially if you are doing an independent surrogacy journey. You can find out more about New York’s surrogacy statute on this website.
It is my goal to make sure that your legal interests are protected and that you are entering into your third-party assisted reproductive arrangement fully informed of the myriad issues that can arise during your journey. If you are an intended parent, I also will help you establish your parental rights; and if you are a donor or gestational surrogate, I will help ensure that you do not have any parental rights.
Please do not hesitate to contact my office today for a free confidential consultation to discuss your family-building situation and see if my office can help you.
