What an honor to be featured in Fort Lauderdale's magazine, Gold Coast in the December 2018 issue. Writer Eric Barton highlighted in the most beautiful way my personal experience with surrogacy and how it evolved into my starting the Florida surrogacy and reproductive legal practice group at my law firm. The interview for the article brought back many memories during my surrogacy journey. For example, my husband and I attended a birthing class at a local hospital while our surrogate was in her third trimester and when asked to go around the room to share what week of pregnancy we were all at, I received many funny looks when I shared with the class that I was pregnant with twins and didn't show at all. The article highlights some of the considerations to take into account when  working with a gestational surrogate to build a family. It is important to consider your state laws as each state has different laws (if any) regarding surrogacy which may impact the legal process parent(s) need to take to finalize their parental rights. For example, surrogacy law in Florida requires in order to move forward with surrogacy a medical need for the health and safety of the mother or fetus, or if the couple cannot gestate to term. Other states, such as Georgia law relating to surrogacy, do not have surrogacy laws specifically and the process is governed by case law. Based on the differences of laws from state to state regarding surrogacy, it is critical that potential parents and even potential surrogates consult with an attorney in the applicable state so they are aware of their legal rights and obligations when pursuing a surrogacy journey. When it comes time to draft a surrogacy contract, the intended parents should be represented by an attorney, and the surrogate should be represented by a separate attorney, paid for by the intended parents, to make sure that all of the parties understand the commitments within the contract. I was truly honored to be able to share my story with Gold Coast Magazine, a luxury lifestyle magazine covering the Fort Lauderdale area. I love sharing my surrogacy experience in an effort to impact others who may be experiencing difficulty in building their family and showing others that surrogacy is an amazing option for family building, provided the proper steps are followed along the way. To read the full feature, click here: Gold Coast-December 2018 Marla Neufeld