News and Awards

March 11, 2026
New York State Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department

Denise and Rebecca Mendel presented a Continuing Legal Education Course on “The Complex Landscape of Surrogacy and Assisted Reproduction”

March 2026

Denise was listed as a top adoption lawyer in the March 2026 issue of Hudson Valley Magazine.

November 5, 2025
Family & Divorce Mediation Council of Greater New York

Denise and Rebecca Mendel presented for the Mediation Council on the mediator’s role in navigating disputes arising in the context of families formed through assisted reproduction.

September 19, 2025
Men Having Babies New York Surrogacy Conference and Expo

Denise spoke on a panel comparing family formation through surrogacy versus adoption.

August 26, 2025
NY State Council on Divorce Mediation Annual Conference

Denise and Rebecca Mendel presented at the annual mediators’ conference on “Navigating the Complex Landscape of Surrogacy: What Mediators Need to Know”.

August 5, 2024
British Medical Journal

Denise and her co-authors: Lavanya R. Fischer, solicitor; Natalie Gamble, solicitor; Kirsty Horsey, professor of law; Emily Jackson, professor of law; and Richard Vaughn contributed the article: Surrogacy needs to be regulated, not prohibited | The BMJ, to this highly esteemed medical journal.

June 14, 2024
Capital Press Room Radio Station

Denise was interviewed regarding the 2023 legislative amendments to the Child Parent Security Act. You can listen to that interview here.

May 2024

Denise was voted Vice President of the New York Academy of Adoption and Family Formation.

June 8, 2023
2nd International Surrogacy Forum in Copenhagen

Denise and Richard Vaughn presented on “Global surrogacy in a changing world – Ethical, practical and legal developments in assisted reproduction and cross-border parenthood” at this international forum.

November 20, 2022
Adoptive Parents Committee Virtual Conference

Denise spoke with Mia Diamond Padwa, the Director of Family Services of Westchester, on “open adoptions” and on making the choice between agency and private placement adoption.

November 15, 2022
New York Judicial Institute - Premier of the adoption documentary – “The faces and voices of adoption”

Denise in conjunction with the New York State Judicial Institute, co-produced this documentary, narrated by Daryl McDaniel of the legendary hip hop band RUN DMC, to celebrate adoption month.

November 1, 2022
Lawline

Denise and her co-presenter Deborah Guston presented a Continuing Legal Education Program on Parentage After Dobbs – What Same Sex Couples need to do to protect their parental relationships to their children. Here’s a link to the program: Parentage After Dobbs CLE Program

May 16, 2022
National Academy of Continuing Legal Education

Denise and Rebecca Mendel presented on the Child Parent Security Act – 1 year after the legislation went into effect. View the CLE course here.

February 15, 2022
New York Judicial Institute

Denise spoke at the New York Judicial Institute on New York parentage law.

January 20, 2022
Kings County Woman’s Bar Association

Denise spoke at the Bar Association on reproductive law in New York.

September 14, 2021
Adoption S.T.A.R.

Denise spoke to parents considering surrogacy.

January 25, 2021
Men Having Babies Presentation

Denise provided an overview on New York parentage law to the conference participants.

2021
Kitchen Table Conversations with Barbara Collura

Denise and two of her colleagues sat down with Barb to discuss the changes brought about by passage of the Child Parent Security Act (Resolve – The National Infertility Association). You can watch their round table discussion here.

2021
Denise Receives New York Attorneys for Adoption & Family Formation (NYAAFF) Founders’ Award

Denise was honored to receive the Founders Award for her work drafting and advocating for the Child-Parent Security Act.

April 8, 2020
New York Has Been Long Overdue for Good News…On Surrogacy

Denise spoke with Ellen Trachman on her podcast Above the Law about the passage of the Child-Parent Security Act. Read the article here.

2019
Rumbold & Seidelman Recognized with AAAA Supporter of Adoption through Knowledge and Action (SAKA) Award

Denise and Nina were honored to receive the AAAA Mary Landrieu SAKA Award in 2019 for their advocacy to gain passage of the Child-Parent Security Act.

November 23, 2019
National Adoption Month: Advice for Anyone Considering Adopting a Child

Denise spoke on CBS local news for National Adoption Month. Watch the segment here.

Summer 2019
New York Almost Joined The 21st Century on Surrogacy, No Thanks to Gloria Steinem. Parental Rights in New York to Graduate from the Dark Ages, Hopefully

Denise had a conversation with Ellen Trachman from “Above the Law” about the New York Child-Parent Security Act. Read the articles here and here.

May 29, 2019
New York Senate Hearing on Surrogacy

Denise Seidelman and Nina Rumbold testified before the New York State Senate on the reasons New York state should legalize compensated gestational surrogacy arrangements. Here’s a link to Denise’s interview on Channel 12 News after the Senate hearing here.

June 30, 2018
New Jersey Passes The New Jersey Gestational Carrier Act

We are thrilled that Gestational Carrier Agreements are enforceable, allow carriers to receive reasonable living expenses throughout their pregnancy, and allow pre-birth orders which securely recognize the Intended Parents as the child’s legal parents at birth. We look forward to working with our New Jersey clients who wish to build their families through surrogacy or assist others in doing so.

May 24, 2018

Nina and Denise testified before the New York Assembly Judiciary and Health Committees in support of passage of the Child Parent Security Act.

2017

Rumbold & Seidelman achieved an appellate victory in the landmark case of In re Maria-Irene D., 153 AD3d 1203 [1st Dept, 2017)], the first case in New York to apply the marital presumption to a same-sex male couple having a child with the assistance of a gestational carrier.

2016

Rumbold & Seidelman submitted an amicus curie brief in Joseph O. v Danielle B., 158 AD3d 767 [2d Dept 2018], in support of the lesbian couple who had conceived their child using sperm provided by a known sperm donor.

September 9, 2016
The New York Court of Appeals Decision in Brooke S.B. and Estrellita A.

Rumbold & Seidelman is proud to have played a role in this groundbreaking case by assisting in drafting the amicus curiae briefs submitted on behalf of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

May 5, 2014

Denise Seidelman was mentioned in an article on Searching for Juno. Read the article here.

November 6, 2013

Denise and Nina were honored to receive the “Resolve: Hope Award for Advocacy”.

2011

Rumbold & Seidelman obtained the first New York Appellate decision recognizing the right of a genetic mother of a child delivered by a gestational carrier to be recognized as a legal parent without having to undergo an adoption proceeding. See, T.V. v. New York State Dept. of Health, 88 AD3d 290 [2d Dept 2011].

2010
New York Attorneys for Adoption and Family Formation (NYAAFF)

Denise Seidelman and Nina Rumbold, along with a small group of New York attorneys (members of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction) founded NYAAFF, an organization dedicated to protecting and advocating for the rights of adoptive children and children born through assisted reproduction. Here’s a link to the NYAAFF website.

2004

Rumbold & Seidelman obtained a groundbreaking ruling from the New York County Supreme Court declaring the genetic mother of the child born through an uncompensated gestational surrogacy arrangement to be the legal mother without her having to undergo an adoption proceeding. See, Doe v. New York City Bd. Of Health, 5 Misc 3d 424 [Sup Ct, New York County 2004].

1996

Denise Seidelman and Nina Rumbold founded Rumbold & Seidelman, a law firm dedicated exclusively to family formation.