Fertility Law

It's best to get legal advice if you're thinking about fertility treatment. If you are a same-sex couple, a single parent or are conceiving using a donor, or even considering being a donor, the legal processes can be complicated.
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We match a member of the team with the right expertise to every client, who will invest time getting to know you, who will look after your interests and ensure you have access to the whole firm when you need it.

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The legal and financial matters might be complex, but we aim to keep things straightforward and explain everything in terms that are relevant to you.

Overview

Fertility law solicitors: Expert legal advice

It’s good to speak to a specialist fertility lawyer about the complex and sensitive issues that can have a significant impact on the child and intended parents. Areas to cover include: 

  • consent to treatment
  • parental rights and responsibilities
  • freezing your eggs or sperm 
  • pre-conception agreements
  • co-parenting agreements covering issues such as residence, schooling, financial support for the child etc.

See our information about surrogacy law if you are thinking of involving a surrogate.

Will I be the legal parent?

If you are not married or in a civil partnership, and you are not the person giving birth to the child, you will need to have signed the correct parenthood forms, before the fertility treatment started, in order to become a legal parent of the child. Intended parents need to bear in mind that the legal arrangements can have a lasting impact with implications for responsibility, which remain even in circumstances of a family breakdown. 

Will I need a co-parenting agreement?

You may choose to enter into fertility treatment with a friend; this is often referred to as ‘known donation’. Often there are many issues that arise with known donation, so it is useful to create a co-parenting agreement to help you discuss and agree upon issues relating to the child, before the child is born. 

How we can help

If you’d like to meet one of our experts for a confidential, no obligation chat, please get in touch.

We have offices across Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, but we can help you wherever you are in England and Wales.

The team at Tees Law has provided excellent service and extremely helpful advice.

Storing eggs and sperm

Before any treatment can take place, you must first give your consent to ensure your eggs, sperm and embryos are used in the way you want them to be. You may need to give consent to:

  • How long your eggs, sperm or embryos are stored for
  • What will happen to your eggs, sperm or embryos when you die
  • What will happen to embryos after a separation between the two people concerned 

You are able to withdraw consent at any time until your eggs, sperm or embryos have been used in treatment. 

Fertility clinic errors

If something has gone wrong during your fertility treatment, Tees’ specialist lawyers can work with both clinics and patients to help review the legal processes that were involved and help reach a solution. Fertility law is a complex area; misunderstandings or omissions can have long-term implications that are not always obvious at the time, so it is best to seek specialist legal advice – in advance of receiving fertility treatment. 

Fixed-fees

Tees can offer specialist advice on obtaining legal parenthood and also offer general advice on a fixed fee basis to help guide you through the process of fertility treatment. 

Our experience in fertility law

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If you’d like to meet one of our experts for a confidential, no obligation chat, please get in touch.