Tarnoff Shelley M - Oakland, CA
Tarnoff Law in Oakland, California, is a premier boutique family formation practice led by Shelley M. Tarnoff, an attorney and licensed marriage and family therapist with over forty years of experience in gestational surrogacy, assisted reproduction, and adoption law.
Over Four Decades of Dedication to Family Formation in California
Building a family through assisted reproductive technology or adoption is a profound journey that requires legal precision, ethical sensitivity, and deep emotional understanding. Tarnoff Law provides comprehensive legal counsel to intended parents, gestational carriers, and donors throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, across the United States, and internationally. Founding attorney Shelley M. Tarnoff earned her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (now UC Law San Francisco) and was admitted to the California State Bar in 1983. In addition to her legal credentials, she is a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) who conducts psychological screenings for surrogacy candidates and ovum donors. Intended parents and carriers seeking to hire an attorney with both legal mastery and clinical insight rely on Tarnoff Law for skilled, compassionate guidance.
Comprehensive Assisted Reproductive Technology and Adoption Law
California is widely recognized as one of the most progressive and supportive jurisdictions in the world for third-party reproduction. Navigating fertility clinics, matching agencies, medical screening protocols, and court orders requires exceptional care. Clients looking to find a lawyer who will expertly structure reproductive agreements benefit from full-spectrum legal representation across key areas:
- Gestational Surrogacy Agreements: Serving as dedicated contract lawyers and reproductive counsel, the firm drafts and negotiates thorough gestational carrier agreements covering parental rights, medical decisions, financial compensation, insurance review, and contingency plans.
- Egg, Sperm, and Embryo Donation Contracts: Drafting binding donor contracts that clearly relinquish donor parental rights, protect genetic confidentiality or establish agreed contact parameters, and confirm intentional parentage under California Family Code provisions.
- Pre-Birth and Post-Birth Parentage Orders: Preparing and filing parentage petitions in California courts to ensure intended parents are named directly on the original birth certificate without requiring post-birth adoption proceedings.
- Second-Parent and Stepparent Adoptions: Acting as knowledgeable adoption lawyers to finalize confirmatory adoptions, securing permanent legal protection for non-biological and LGBTQ parents that is recognized across state and international borders.
- Parental Rights and Custody Agreements: Helping diverse families as child custody lawyers by drafting co-parenting agreements, guardianship designations, and parental declarations tailored to modern family structures.
- Agency and Clinic Contract Reviews: Reviewing agency retainers, escrow agreements, and fertility clinic consent forms to ensure client financial investments and legal protections are fully safeguarded.
Nationally Recognized Leadership in Reproductive Law
Attorney Shelley M. Tarnoff is an esteemed Fellow of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA) and a Fellow of the Academy of California Adoption-ART Lawyers (ACAL). She has lectured before prominent organizations including the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Resolve, and UC Berkeley. When intended parents or surrogates need an attorney urgently to finalize contracts prior to embryo transfer cycles or secure expedited parentage orders before delivery, the firm acts swiftly and with meticulous attention to detail. Having helped create thousands of families over more than thirty years, Tarnoff Law offers unmatched warmth, reliability, and legal security.
Oakland Office and Free Initial Consultation
Located at 83 Castle Park Way in Oakland, Tarnoff Law assists clients locally across the East Bay, Silicon Valley, and San Francisco, as well as intended parents traveling from Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Prospective clients can reach out today to schedule a free initial consultation to discuss their assisted reproduction goals and explore the legal steps toward building their family.
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Location & Access
Primary Address
Located in the serene and hilly Piedmont Pines neighborhood in the Oakland Hills, directly bordering the forest trails of Joaquin Miller Park.
Building Location
The office is operated out of a private contemporary single-family home built in 1960 on Castle Park Way, surrounded by lush trees.
Parking Details
Since it is a residential property, public parking is limited to standard on-street parking along Castle Park Way.
Accessibility / Suite Access
As this is a private residential home office, visitors should schedule an appointment in advance to coordinate entry.