Family & Relationships · Sydney CBD
1 surrogacy & adoption firm in Sydney CBD, New South Wales, including Sydney.
1 firm
Sydney, NSW · Sydney CBD
Dimocks Family Lawyers provides legal services in Sydney, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Mediation & Dispute Resolution and Property & Conveyancing.
Surrogacy is legal in Australia only on an altruistic basis, and each state has its own laws about agreements, independent legal advice and parentage orders. Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Australia and in some states even when arranged overseas. Adoption is governed by state law and involves the relevant government department.
Surrogacy and adoption create lifelong legal relationships. Getting the process right protects the child, the intended parents and the birth parents.
Only altruistic surrogacy is legal in Australia, and each state regulates it separately, including requirements for counselling and independent legal advice. Parentage orders transfer legal parentage after birth. Adoption is managed by state government departments and courts.
Understand the next step
Identify whether the enquiry concerns a proposed arrangement, consent, parentage or recognition of an existing relationship. State and international connections should be explained before documents are prepared or commitments made.
Ask about the sequence of legal, counselling and other professional steps; a document alone may not complete the process.
A city-centre address can be convenient for meetings, but it does not tell you which solicitor will handle the file. For a business transaction, employment issue or dispute, ask whether the team has experience with your particular industry and the size of the matter.
For surrogacy & adoption, ask which parts of the work the firm handles itself and whether it has relevant NSW experience. Let the lawyer know if a property, employer, other party or existing proceeding is outside Sydney CBD. Your home address alone does not determine the applicable process.
Explain the relationship history, current arrangements and outcome you want. Identify immediate concerns and provide every existing order or agreement.
Discuss negotiation and family dispute resolution. Parenting applications generally involve prior dispute resolution unless an exception applies; ask the lawyer to assess the appropriate process.
Ask how an agreement would be documented and implemented. Clarify who handles related transfers, finance and estate-planning work.
Ask for separate estimates for advice, negotiation, document preparation and court work. A fixed divorce-application fee does not necessarily cover parenting or financial disputes.
Ask for a written scope identifying the work you are authorising, the person responsible and when costs will be reviewed. If you only want advice on one step, say so before the firm begins wider work.
Highlight court dates, proposed travel or relocation and any planned property sale. Ask which time limits apply to your particular issues rather than assuming there is one deadline for everything.
In New South Wales, most criminal and minor civil matters start in the Local Court, with more serious matters in the District Court and Supreme Court. Tenancy, strata, consumer and guardianship disputes usually go to NCAT. Solicitors are licensed by the Law Society of New South Wales, and complaints about lawyers go to the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner.
Good to know
No. Only altruistic surrogacy is legal in Australia, and some states criminalise arranging commercial surrogacy overseas.
Through a parentage order from the state court after the birth, if the legal requirements of the surrogacy arrangement were met.
Most matters start in the Local Court. More serious cases go to the District Court or the Supreme Court of NSW. Family law matters are heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Directory guidance updated 19 September 2026. General information to help you prepare for a conversation with a professional; not advice about your individual matter. Check current requirements with the relevant authority.
Practising certificates in New South Wales are managed by the Law Society of New South Wales. You can check a solicitor's status on its public register or by contacting it directly.