Lori Surmay Speaks at NCJFCJ Annual Conference

Attorney Lori Surmay in San Diego, California during the NCJFCJ Annual Conference.

On July 20, 2010, attorney Lori Surmay spoke to The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges during that group's annual conference in San Diego. NCJFCJ selected Lori and her co-presenter, attorney Ellen Yarrell, from Houston, Texas, from a long list of interested speakers. Both Lori and Ellen are Fellows in the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and Ellen is a past Academy President. They spoke to a group of approximately 50 attendees from all over the country including Ellen's and Lori's own stomping grounds - a judge from Houston and a Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Ellen and Lori debunked many myths about the impact on children of being raised by same-gender couples, and informed the audience of the many studies and well-known medical, psychological and legal organizations which support same gender parenting. The presentation and discussion also included timely topics such as the movie, "The Kids Are Alright" - about lesbian parenting and a sperm donor, to France's recent recognition of a second parent adoption. Ellen and Lori answered many questions for attendees and were very well received.

Of note: the incoming NCHFCJ President is Judge Michael Key from LaGrange, Georgia. Click here to read an article and see more photos from the conference on the NCJFCJ website.

Lori Surmay speaks at NCJFCJ Annual Meeting in San Diego

Claiborne & Surmay, P.C. attorney Lori Surmay will speak at the 73rd Annual Conference of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, to be held July 18 - 21, 2010 in San Diego, California. Lori will co-present with Houston attorney Ellen Yarrell on Adoption Placement with Gay and Lesbian Parents. The lineup also includes presentations on domestic violence and its affect on youth, new approaches to delinquency cases including juvenile drug and alcohol courts, intercountry adoption, custody issues and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). For a full program schedule, click here.

RESOLVE Family Building Conference

On May 1, 2010, partner Ruth Claiborne, associate attorney Amy Wallas and senior paralegal Toni Treadway participated in RESOLVE's 1st Annual Family Building Conference, held in Atlanta at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

Ruth spoke to attendees about surrogacy. Her presentation included information about screening and finding gestational carriers, the importance of having a surrogacy consultation with an experienced attorney, the Gestational Agreement, the pitfalls of traditional surrogacy and court orders and hospital protocols.

Amy spoke about grassroots adoption, including finding a birth mother through networking, how to create a great profile and the pitfalls of relying on the Internet and virtual agencies.

Toni staffed the Claiborne & Surmay table, fielding questions from attendees about the firm's family building services. The event was a huge success and several lucky winners went home with valuable prizes such as IVF treatments.

Ruth Claiborne Speaks in New Orleans at ABA Family Law Section

Ruth Claiborne was a featured speaker at the ABA Family Law Section 2010 Spring CLE conference in New Orleans. Her talk focused on surrogacy and she participated in a debate about assisted reproductive technologies.