New edition of ABA book grounds attorneys in assisted reproductive technology law

CHICAGO, Nov. 28, 2018 — The American Bar Association’s recently published book, “Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Lawyer's Guide to Emerging Law and Science, Third Edition” keeps practitioners well-versed in the legal background and up-to-date with this rapidly changing practice. Family law attorneys Maureen McBrien and Bruce Hale have revised this ground-breaking handbook to reflect the new possibilities of assisted reproduction, the revision of parentage laws around the country and the evolution of legal and ethical issues associated with assisted reproduction.

With the dramatic advancements in family-formation science in the past decade and the growing diversity of family configurations, assisted reproductive technology (ART) has progressed throughout the country. This volume helps family lawyers to understand parenting concepts that are common in this area of law, such as the “intended parent,” “gestational carrier” and “gamete provider,” as well as the varying laws governing the use of assisted reproduction methods across the United States to effectively advocate for their clients. The law will need to continue to develop as the science advances, and “Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Lawyer’s Guide to Emerging Law and Science, Third Edition” provides attorneys with foundational information that will only become more crucial to practitioners in the future.

McBrien is a partner and family law practitioner at Brick, Jones, McBrien, & Hickey LLP in Newton, Mass. Her practice includes litigation related to legal issues arising from the use of ART. Before writing this third edition with Bruce Hale, McBrien co-authored the prior two editions with the late professor Charles P. Kindregan, Jr. She also co-authored with Kindregan the four-volume, fourth edition of the “Massachusetts Practice Series for Family Law.”

Hale is a solo practitioner in Newton. His practice, Modern Family Law, is focused exclusively on matters related to assisted reproduction. He has also served as an adjunct professor of law at Suffolk University Law School and Northeastern University School of Law, teaching ART law at both institutions. Before focusing on this area of law, Hale became a parent through assisted reproduction (specifically, gestational surrogacy with egg donation).

Author interviews and review copies of this book are available by emailing Amelia Stone at Amelia.Stone@americanbar.org. If you publish a review of this book, please send tear sheets or a copy for our files to Amelia Stone, ABA Book Publishing, 321 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60654

The Family Law Section of the American Bar Association serves as the national leader in the field of family law, including child custody and support, marital property, domestic violence, adoption and assisted reproductive technologies.

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