Building Families with Compassion: Your Fertility Law Partner

Expert fertility lawyer Shirley Levitan provides the support needed during the emotional and exciting time of creating your family and will provide you with the information and guidance you need to make the right decisions at every step of the process.

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Helping You Navigate Canadian Fertility Laws

As an expert in the field of fertility law, Shirley Levitan understands the changing legal landscape and works closely with clinics, hospitals, intended parents, ova and sperm donors, gestational carriers and traditional surrogates.

Ova/Sperm Donation

As an experienced fertility and reproductive technology lawyer, Shirley can assist you with sperm/ova donation and surrogate agreements, ensuring there is clarity amongst all involved and preventing misunderstandings along this very emotional journey.

Intended Parents

Building a family using third-party assisted reproductive technology is an exciting yet challenging journey. Shirley will review the law with you and provide practical guidance, ensuring you are legally guided, directed and protected every step of the way.

Clinics/Hospitals Consent Agreements

All Clinics will require that the participants in an assisted reproductive technology arrangement sign the appropriate medical consent. Shirley has the knowledge to assist both clinics and patients in drafting and understanding consent agreements.

Surrogates

Surrogacy is legal in Canada, but it is illegal to pay surrogates a fee. However, reimbursement of surrogacy/pregnancy related expenses is permissible, provided receipts and certain other required documentation are provided. As an Ontario surrogacy lawyer (who represents people not only in Ontario, but across Canada and all over the world), Shirley can help with surrogate agreements, ensuring the reimbursement of expenses complies with the legal landscape, and more, making sure everyone involved is represented fairly.

Birth Registration

Each province in Canada has its own laws regarding birth registration, including situations in which a surrogate is the birth mother. Shirly will guide you through the process to ensure the birth of your baby is properly registered.

LGBTQ+

Parentage laws across Canada vary from Province to Province. In Ontario, parentage laws were changed in 2017 to resolve several legal challenges facing the LGBTQ community. Shirley can help gay and lesbian couples navigate the laws to build their families, and ensure parentage reflects and respects the relationship.

Family Law and Fertility Law Overlap

Whether you are separating and need advice about your frozen embryos or wish to enter into an agreement with a friend to create embryos and co-parent the resulting child, Shirley can help you move ahead.

Step Parent and Relative Adoption

Throughout Canada, each province has and is governed by its own adoption laws regarding the steps necessary to finalize the adoption of a child in that particular province. Shirley can guide you through the maze of requirements, ensuring a smooth adoption process.

Shirley Levitan: Toronto-based Fertility Lawyer

With experience in fertility law dating back to 1996, Shirley provides unparalleled knowledge in this field. While she is based in Canada, she works with people worldwide. Shirley serves as the current Co-Chair of the Law and Ethics Special Interest Group of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society and is an elected Fellow of both the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproductive Attorneys and the International Academy of Family Lawyers.

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Testimonials

Shirley made this difficult process easy

Shirley Levitan BSc., LLB is phenomenal to work with. Shirley was highly recommended by one of my long-time clients as I was recently going through a divorce. Shirley made this difficult process easy, clear and had it completed fairly quickly. She took the time to explain and guide me through the negotiations, while delivering on everything she had promised. I would recommend Shirley Levitan BSc., LLB to anyone going through a divorce, as she is very knowledgeable and truly works for the best interest of her clients. She not only makes a difficult situation easy but makes herself available to answer any questions or concerns one may have. Shirley, I can’t thank you enough for your help and alleviating a lot of stress from my divorce.

Thank You
PS, Family Law Client, Toronto

Shirley listened to our needs

We are a gay male Italian couple, and enlisted Shirley’s help with our surrogacy and egg donation journey. From the beginning, Shirley was knowledgeable, compassionate and diligent. She was available on our timetable, and guided us through the many legal issues and complications. Shirley listened to our needs and concerns with sincerity and made us feel secure and heard. We are very happy with her assistance and can attest that you will be in very good hands with her.

GC and SP, Fertility Clients, Italy