Modern Families

The Modern Families Team provides holistic legal services to help empower and support modern families. We proudly support clients from all family structures and backgrounds, and those exploring a modern path to growing their families.

Family structures are constantly evolving in modern society. This progress brings new opportunities, but we understand that it can come with questions and challenges as well. The Modern Families Team guides clients throughout this process at every stage of their family or individual journey.

The Modern Families Team is made up of lawyers from a broad spectrum of legal practice areas, namely, our Immigration, Employment, Private Client and International Private Client teams.

Our lawyers work collaboratively, and have curated a cross-departmental specialism with a niche for legal matters affecting modern families. Our lawyers tailor their expertise to  every individual’s circumstances, and uniquely provide a ‘one-stop shop’ in the provision of holistic legal services for modern families.

Everyone deserves the right to high-quality family advice, regardless of gender, age, race, sexual orientation or relationship status. Our specialists appreciate that legal advice must adapt to the needs and concerns of each individual and family unit.

We support individuals and families of all backgrounds, including single parents or LGBTQIA+ couples, and those who have grown their families through fertility treatment, adoption, surrogacy, or sperm/ egg donation. Empowering clients in their decision-making is our top priority.

Birketts features in The Times Best Law Firms 2025. The latest entry says “Birketts opened its modern families practice this year, made up of lawyers across a range of practice teams, including immigration, employment and private client, to provide a “one-stop shop” service to domestic and international families to help them to navigate legal issues as well as matters linked to work and their finances”.

Working collaboratively

As well as our specialist family and fertility lawyers, who guide individuals and families through and explain all relevant legal processes to their circumstances, we collaborate with various legal departments to provide comprehensive support to modern families. In particular, we provide advice in the following specialist practice areas:

• Estate planning and wealth protection are handled in conjunction with the Private Client Advisory Team to secure the family’s financial future, ensuring wealth protection and legacy planning.
• Our Employment Team can advise intended parents, surrogates, and families of their workplace rights, ensuring they are well-informed and protected, including leave entitlements and non-discrimination policies.
• Immigration specialists offer guidance to navigate the complexities of international surrogacy and adoption, preventing unforeseen legal challenges relating to citizenship, visas, residency and travel.
• The International Private Client Team play a crucial role in advising on cross-border issues, such as tax implications, that may affect families involved in international surrogacy or adoption.
• We have a specialist US/UK Private Client Services Team for US-connected families or those exploring international surrogacy or private adoption in the US.