surrogacy law

About Our Guest

Courtney M. Johnson is an Associate Attorney at Marks Gray, P.A.  Her practice focuses on the defense of cases involving premises liability, products liability, trucking and auto liability, general negligence claims and aviation law.

Mrs. Johnson also practices in the areas of Surrogacy and Assisted Reproductive Technologies.  Following a six-year infertility journey, Mrs. Johnson and her husband used a gestational surrogate to carry and deliver their son, who was born in 2020.  She understands firsthand the pain of infertility and uses her personal and professional knowledge to compassionately advocate for those seeking to grow their families through surrogacy and assisted reproductive technologies.

She is a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association, Adoptive and Family Law Section, as well as a member of the Society For Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS).

Notable Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneymombergjohnson/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surrogacyattorneyflorida/
• Website: https://marksgray.com/attorneys/courtney-m-johnson/
• Blog Posts: 
• https://marksgray.com/surrogacy-and-assisted-reproductive-technologies/top-tips-if-youre-considering-surrogacy/
• https://marksgray.com/surrogacy-and-assisted-reproductive-technologies/my-why-what-led-me-to-practicing-law-in-surrogacy-and-assisted-reproduction/
• https://marksgray.com/surrogacy-and-assisted-reproductive-technologies/surrogacy-awareness-month/

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"Women Winning Divorce" is a radio show and podcast hosted by Heather Quick: Attorney, Entrepreneur, Author and Founder of Florida Women’s Law Group, the only divorce firm for women, by women. Each week Heather sits down with innovative professionals and leaders who are focused on how you can be your best self, before, during or after divorce. 

In these conversations, we are looking at how women can win at life.  With our guests, we enjoy the opportunity to explore ways all women can win and enhance their life, no matter where they are in their journey, because divorce is just point in life, not the end and not what defines you, rather it can be a catalyst for growth. 

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This program was created to provide tips and insight to women with family law issues. It is not intended to be legal advice because every situation is different.  

Today’s special guest on The Family Circle podcast is Dean Hutchison, Vice President of Legal Services at Circle Surrogacy and the Immediate Past Chairman of the American Bar Association's Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology Law. Dean offers his perspective on why one might need a lawyer for surrogacy and the legal aspects of it that are important for both intended parents and surrogates to understand. He also shares his background and experience working in the field of surrogacy law and how it has evolved over the past two decades. 

Dean then goes on to review the legal complexities of surrogacy and the importance of working with a lawyer to ensure that the surrogacy process is done legally and ethically. Listeners will learn about the behind-the-scenes work that goes on during a surrogacy journey and how a legal team can support intended parents during the process. The challenges that arose during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and how the legal team at Circle Surrogacy helped intended parents during that time are also explored. 

Today’s episode is a valuable resource for anyone considering surrogacy – or for those who are currently in the process – as it provides a clear understanding of the legal aspect of surrogacy and how it can help ensure a smooth and successful journey for all involved.

Episode Highlights:

• Dean’s professional history
• How surrogacy law has changed over the years
• The Baby M decision
• The primary role of a lawyer in surrogacy 
• Some of the key aspects of the legal process of surrogacy
• How the legal contract is used
• Working with a good agency
• The relationship between a lawyer and intended parents during the surrogacy process
• Navigating the legal aspects of surrogacy
• How the legal team at Circle Surrogacy helped intended parents during COVID-19

Quotes:

"Pretty much trial by fire, learned very quickly the ins and outs of surrogacy law back in 2003-2004."

"I didn't know anything about surrogacy law other than the kind of famous Baby M decision that every family law professor goes over in school."

"A lot of the expectations for the journey are sort of worked out in that contract phase at the very beginning. So it's not something that's coming up at week 20, at week 24.”

"The relationship between a lawyer and intended parents is one of support and guidance throughout the surrogacy journey."

"A lot of it is negotiating those small things...making sure things are keeping kind of in the norms -  that you're not having someone who's taking advantage."

"And then you get kind of the more intense issues like termination or abortion or selective reduction when the parents have certain rights to request such things."

"We were talking to contacts in the Senate and the House and the St

Thank you for listening!

If you'd like to learn more about surrogacy, you can visit our website. If you'd like to chat with one of our team members, please reach out:

• Become a surrogate (email: applications@circlesurrogacy.com)
• Become a parent (email: info@circlesurrogacy.com)
• Become an egg donor (email: eggdonation@circlesurrogacy.com)

We'd love to hear your story and see how we can support you.

In this edition of the Australia Lawyers podcast, something different. We're talking with Multi-Award Winning Surrogacy Lawyer, Stephen Page on his fascinating journey into surrogacy law.

The Law By Dan network is all about enhancing accessibility to legal help

We work with law firms and legal services (government and non-government) everywhere, helping them be more accessible and successful in providing legal information and advice. We also own numerous platforms with the similar objective of improving access to legal help in innovative and creative ways, including the Law By Dan podcast, Harry Quinn, Mediations Australia, Fast Firms, LawDash, LawStripe and FirmRanker

In this podcast, Richard Westoby discusses his own personal surrogacy journey and a complete career change that he never could have anticipated.