Marks Gray, one of Jacksonville’s leading business law firms, is expanding the firm with the addition of a practice area focused on assisted reproductive technologies and surrogacy. The practice will be one of only a couple in the Jacksonville area that focus on this type of law.
The surrogacy and family practice will represent surrogates and intended parents in legal contracts and agreements. This may include surrogacy, IVF, donors of eggs or embryos and eventually could include adoption.
Courtney M. Johnson, who is a litigator and family law attorney, will head up the practice. Johnson will continue her work on the litigation team. Johnson is a member of the American Bar Association’s Family Law Section.
Courtney is passionate about the rights and issues facing parents who are starting a family in a nontraditional way. One in eight couples are infertile or cannot bear children themselves for whatever reason. Courtney and her husband recently went through a process of building their family with a surrogate who carried their son.
“Surrogacy and all non-traditional reproduction have interesting, fascinating and sometimes confounding legal issues,” said Johnson. “I’m looking forward to helping couples as well as individuals navigate these issues as they build their families.”
The surrogacy and assisted reproductive technologies practice will focus efforts on helping intended parents through the complex and often complicated legal requirements of surrogacy, IVF, reproductive donations, embryos and related issues. Couples who are same-sex, infertile or who are using a surrogate have complex legal needs. The practice will also focus on the representation of surrogates through contract review and advocacy throughout their pregnancy journeys.
The addition of the team strengthens Marks Gray’s position in the market. Marks Gray specializes in the legal issues facing businesses of all sizes along with individuals and includes comprehensive legal defense services to a wide range of industries. The surrogacy and reproductive tech practice will be one of only a few in the Jacksonville region that focus on this counsel and service.