This conference, organised by Cambridge Family Law together with the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) and the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Family Law, explored a range of issues and challenges surrounding the law and practice of national and international surrogacy from a practical perspective. Practitioners, lawmakers, academics and other participants will discuss the legal consequences of the rise in surrogacy arrangements and, in particular, reproductive tourism.

For more information about the conference see:

https://www.family.law.cam.ac.uk/research-and-eventspast-events/international-surrogacy-forum-2019

This recording is from Part I – The Prohibitive Approach, with a personal experience shared by the Mennesson family.

The Mennesson family, whose surrogacy journey in the USA has resulted in a 19-year battle to secure the recognition of their family in France. In 2006, they created Association Clara, which now has over 2000 members. This association defends all children born through surrogacy and promotes legalization of Surrogacy in France.

This conference, organised by Cambridge Family Law together with the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) and the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Family Law, explored a range of issues and challenges surrounding the law and practice of national and international surrogacy from a practical perspective. Practitioners, lawmakers, academics and other participants will discuss the legal consequences of the rise in surrogacy arrangements and, in particular, reproductive tourism.

For more information about the conference see:

https://www.family.law.cam.ac.uk/research-and-eventspast-events/international-surrogacy-forum-2019

This recording is from Part I – The Prohibitive Approach, with Caroline Mécary (Avocate aux barreaux de Paris et du Québec, Paris/France) as commentator.

Caroline Mecary is an attorney, member of the Bar of Paris since 1991. In 1993, she established her own law firm devoted to all sorts of families’ rights.

She was the first French attorney to defend homoparental families. In this field, she obtained some great success before both national and international courts such as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Hence, she allowed a lesbian to have the right to adopt (ECHR, 22 January 2008, E.B c/ France). She enabled children resulting for a surrogacy to have their birth certificate transcribed by the French registry office (ECHR, 21 July 2016, Foulon & Bouvet c/ France; ECHR, 19 July 2017, Laborie c/ France). She also obtained the right for a same-sex couple to enter in a civil partnership (ECHR, 7 November 2013, Vallianatos c/ Greece).

This conference, organised by Cambridge Family Law together with the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) and the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Family Law, explored a range of issues and challenges surrounding the law and practice of national and international surrogacy from a practical perspective. Practitioners, lawmakers, academics and other participants will discuss the legal consequences of the rise in surrogacy arrangements and, in particular, reproductive tourism.

For more information about the conference see:

https://www.family.law.cam.ac.uk/research-and-eventspast-events/international-surrogacy-forum-2019

This recording is from Part VII - The Way Forward - General discussion, with Dame Lucy Morgan Theis DBE (High Court of England and Wales).

The former chair of the Family Law Bar Association, Mrs Justice Lucy Theis, was appointed to be a High Court Judge in 2010.

Mrs Justice Theis DBE, was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn in 1982 and took Silk in 2003. She was appointed a Recorder in 2000 and was approved to sit as a deputy High Court Judge. She was head of Field Court Chambers until 2010.

She was appointed a Family Division Liaison Judge on the South Eastern Circuit in 2011 with responsibility for Kent, Surrey and Sussex and in 2017 for London and Thames Valley. In 2018 she was appointed Senior Family Liaison Judge. She sits on the Family Procedure Rules Committee and the Family Justice Council and is the lead judge in relation to applications under the HFEA 2008.