Donation & Co‑parenting Law
There are a variety of ways to build a family through donation or co-parenting, including:
- Use of identifiable arms-length donor eggs, sperms or embryos.
- Use of non-identifiable donor eggs, sperm or embryos.
- Use of eggs or sperm from a known donor.
- Inter-family donation.
- A co-parenting arrangement.
These family building arrangements create complex legal, practical, financial and emotional issues which require careful management from the outset.
Our specialist legal services help you identify, understand and navigate the legal issues, risks and outcomes in the short, medium and longer term. We provide tailored legal advice and solutions that align with your situation and wishes.
If you require legal assistance or wish to discuss your situation please get in touch
enquiries@louisaghevaertassociates.co.uk
+44 (0) 20 7965 8399
How we can help
Our legal services include
- Legal packages
- Bespoke legal advice tailored to your situation, needs and wishes
- Preparation of legal documentation
- Legal support and representation in court proceedings
Package One
Donor Conception - Legal Review
This provides initial expert legal and practical advice to support people undertaking donor conception. It:
- Provides legal and practical advice on donor information rights.
- Provides bespoke legal advice on donor conception law in the UK (including legal parentage and parental responsibility and legal and practical implications arising).
- Helps navigate complex personal and legal issues.
- Identifies legal and practical risks and steps to
mitigate these. - Addresses benefits of a bespoke known donor agreement (if applicable).
- Answers legal questions to give peace of mind.
- Creates a tailored donor conception legal and practical action plan.
Note:
This consultation does not provide medical advice. It only provides initial specialist advice on donor conception and family law in the UK (and not law in other jurisdictions). It does not include preparation of legal documentation. Terms and conditions apply. For further legal advice and assistance consider our other legal packages and bespoke legal services.
Package Three
Known donor - legal review
This provides initial expert legal and practical advice to support people undertaking known donation. It:
- Addresses benefits and contents of a bespoke known donor agreement.
- Provides bespoke legal advice on known donation law in the UK (including legal parentage and parental responsibility and legal and practical implications arising).
- Provides legal and practical advice on donor information and rights.
- Helps navigate complex personal and legal issues.
- Identifies legal and practical risks and steps to mitigate these.
- Answers legal questions to give peace of mind.
- Creates a tailored known donation legal and practical action plan.
Note:
This consultation does not provide medical advice. It only provides initial specialist advice on known donation and family law in the UK (and not law in other jurisdictions). It does not include preparation of a known donor agreement. Terms and conditions apply. For further legal advice and assistance consider our other legal packages and bespoke legal services.
Package Five
Co-parenting legal start kit
This legal package provides a legal starter kit about family building through a co-parenting arrangement. It contains the following initial legal information and documentation on co-parenting law in the UK to help prospective co-parents:
- Co-parenting legal information guide.
- Co-parenting questionnaire.
- Co-parenting agreement template.
Note:
This legal package only provides initial generic legal information and documentation on co-parenting and family law in the UK (and not law in other jurisdictions). It does not constitute the provision of comprehensive specialist, bespoke or specific legal advice in individual cases by Louisa Ghevaert Associates. The co-parenting agreement is a generic template only (for initial consideration and discussion purposes) and should not be relied upon as a legally binding document. Terms and conditions apply. For legal advice and further assistance consider our other legal packages and bespoke legal services.
Package Seven
Co-parenting agreement and legal review
This legal package includes a legal review meeting and the preparation of a bespoke co-parenting agreement. It:
- Prepares a bespoke co-parenting agreement.
- Provides bespoke legal advice on co-parenting (including legal parentage and parental responsibility and legal and practical implications arising).
- Helps navigate complex personal and legal issues.
- Identifies legal and practical risks and steps to mitigate these.
- Answers legal questions to give peace of mind.
Note:
This consultation does not provide medical advice. It only provides specialist advice on co-parenting and family law in the UK (and not law in other jurisdictions) and preparation of a co-parenting agreement. Terms and conditions apply. For further legal advice and assistance consider our other legal packages and bespoke legal services.
Package Two
Known donation legal starter kit
This legal package provides a legal starter kit about family building and conception through known donation. It contains the following initial legal information and documentation on known donation law in the UK to help prospective parents and known donors:
- Known donation legal information guide.
- Known donation questionnaire.
- Known donor agreement template.
Note:
This legal package only provides initial generic legal information and assistance on family building through known donation and family law in the UK (and not law in other jurisdictions). It does not constitute the provision of comprehensive specialist, bespoke or specific legal advice in individual cases by Louisa Ghevaert Associates. The known donor agreement is a generic template only (for initial consideration and discussion purposes) and should not be relied upon as a legally binding document. Terms and conditions apply. For legal advice and further assistance consider our other legal packages and bespoke legal services.
Package Four
Known donor agreement and legal review
This legal package provides a tailored legal review meeting about family building and known donation law in the UK. It:
- Prepares a bespoke known donor agreement tailored to your individual situation and wishes.
- Provides bespoke legal advice on known donation law in the UK (including legal parentage and parental responsibility and legal and practical implications arising).
- Provides legal and practical advice on donor information and rights.
- Helps navigate complex personal and legal issues.
- Identifies legal and practical risks and steps to mitigate these.
- Answers legal questions to give peace of mind.
- Creates a tailored known donation legal and practical action plan.
Note:
This consultation does not provide medical advice. It only provides specialist advice on known donation and family law in the UK (and not law in other jurisdictions) and preparation of a known donor agreement. Terms and conditions apply. For further legal advice and assistance consider our other legal packages and bespoke legal services.
Package Six
Co-parenting - legal review
This provides initial expert legal advice to support people building a family through co-parenting. It:
- Answers legal questions to give peace of mind.
- Provides bespoke legal advice on co-parenting (including legal parentage, parental responsibility, a child’s upbringing and legal and practical implications arising).
- Addresses benefits and contents of a bespoke co-parenting agreement.
- Identifies legal and practical risks and steps to mitigate these.
- Helps navigate complex personal and legal issues.
- Creates a tailored co-parenting legal and practical action plan
Note:
This consultation does not provide medical advice. It only provides initial specialist advice on co-parenting and family law in the UK (and not law in other jurisdictions). It does not include preparation of a co-parenting agreement. Terms and conditions apply. For further legal advice and assistance consider our other legal packages and bespoke legal services.
If you require further information on any of the above packages please get in touch
+44 (0) 20 7965 8399
Bespoke legal services
We provide further expert tailored legal advice and representation on donation, co-parenting fertility and family law issues including:
Read more about our expert fertility law services:
Family Building Options & Law Fertility Preservation Complex Personal Situations Fertility Treatment Law Surrogacy Law Posthumous Conception Law Assisted Reproduction Dispute
Read more about our expert family law services:
Legal Parentage Parental Responsibility Financial Provision Care & Upbringing Complex Children & Family Law Modern & Blended Family Law Children & Family Dispute
Donation case law
Louisa Ghevaert has dealt with numerous leading and cutting-edge fertility and donation law cases, including:
Whittington Hospital NHS Trust v XX [2020] UKSC 14, a landmark ruling where the UK Supreme Court by a majority of 3:2 dismissed the defendant hospital’s appeal. This enabled the recovery of damages for commercial surrogacy, donor conception and fertility treatment in the US for a woman rendered infertile and unable to carry a pregnancy following a delay in detecting cancer in smear tests and biopsies. Louisa Ghevaert gave expert evidence in the case, which featured in The Guardian (1 April 2020) and in BioNews (6 April 2020).
XX v Whittington Hospital NHS Trust [2018] EWCA Civ 2832, where for the first time the Court of Appeal awarded damages for the costs of fertility treatment, donor eggs and commercial surrogacy in California for a woman rendered infertile and unable to carry a pregnancy following a delay in detecting cancer in smear tests and biopsies. Louisa Ghevaert gave expert evidence in the case, which featured in The Telegraph 19 December 2018 and The Times, The Telegraph, The Mail Online and The Mirror on 27 January 2019.
In the matter of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 (Case V) [2016] EWHC 2356 (Fam), obtaining a declaration of parentage in the High Court for a woman in a same-sex relationship for a child conceived through fertility treatment and donor sperm at a UK fertility clinic licensed by the HFEA. The HFEA Consent Form WP was missing from the clinic file. The case for the first time gave guidance on the practice of making interim costs orders in favour of patients to fund litigation and access to justice following errors in the completion of consent forms at UK fertility clinics.
You can read more here.
In the News
The UK Supreme Court awards damages for commercial surrogacy (BioNews, comment piece by Louisa Ghevaert, 6 April 2020)
Apple podcast on Speak From the Body with Avni Touch entitled “Fertility law for modern families with Louisa Ghevaert” (26 February 2020)
“Why we need root and branch law reform” (BioNews 25 November 2019) and longer associated article “Why we need fertility law reform: the paradigm shift” (25 November 2019)
3 Person IVF approved by the HFEA – what does this mean? (Jordan Publishing Family Law, 31 January 2017)
