Biography of Deborah E. Spivack
Welcome to the website for the Law Offices of Deborah E. Spivack, a law practice devoted exclusively to adoption and assisted reproductive technology law in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. I represent adoptive parents, birth parents, agencies and children in domestic private, agency, stepparent, second parent, U.S. recognition of foreign adoptions, guardianship, Special Immigrant Juvenile and adult adoption cases. In assisted reproduction cases, I represent intended parents, gestational carriers, traditional surrogates, non-genetic or non-biological parents, and donors/donees. I provide each client with legal services tailored to their individual needs and goals. The hallmark of my practice is providing personalized, practical and informative legal advice that empowers clients to make informed decisions about family planning, always with an eye toward their short and long-term goals.
I have handled more than 1,000 adoptions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, many of which have complex legal issues such as interstate placements, adoption subsidy, non-participating or contesting parties, international parties, immigration problems, Indian Child Welfare Act implications, state child protective services, and special needs or older children. In assisted reproduction cases, I frequently draft and negotiate Gestational Carrier Agreements and Donor Agreements, and pursue pre-birth parentage orders for intended parents and adoption decrees to confirm by court order parent-child relationships with non-genetic or non-biological parents and ensure that children have equivalent ties to both parents.
I am an active fellow (both adoption and ARTS) of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA), an invitation-only organization of more than 460 attorneys in the United States and abroad with deep and diverse experience in the laws governing adoption and assisted reproductive technology. AAAA is committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethics, competence and professionalism, and dedicated to the advancement of best legal practices to protect the interests of all parties, including the children. I am a frequent speaker at professional conferences, adoptive parent seminars, and trainings for judges and court staff.
After the passage of the Hague Convention on Intra-country Adoption, I worked with dozens of agencies in pursuing accreditation of the Department of State by consulting with agencies and bringing their contracts, policies, procedures into compliance with the Hague regulations. I am a published author and frequent speaker on adoption topics to diverse audiences such as adoption parents, agency staff, adoption attorneys, and judges. I have also held leadership roles in organizations that promote ethical practice and ensure that adoption policy serves the interests of children worldwide.
My legal experience further includes corporate bankruptcy and commercial experience for a large law firm in Wilmington, Delaware. After graduation law school in 1993, I served as a law clerk in the federal bankruptcy court in Delaware.
