About us
RUMBOLD & SEIDELMAN
Rumbold & Seidelman was founded in 1996 by Nina Rumbold and Denise Seidelman with the understanding that our law practice was, first and foremost, about helping to form families utilizing the highest ethical and legal standards. We are admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey and we practice in many courts throughout both states. Rumbold & Seidelman has represented many hundreds of clients to adopt or place their children with integrity and love. We also concentrate our practice in the evolving field of reproductive law and have counseled intended parents, egg, sperm, embryo donors and gestational carriers in collaborative reproduction arrangements.
Since its inception, Rumbold & Seidelman has been dedicated to the core belief that our practice should be non-adversarial and collaborative and should benefit all members of the adoption triad or participants in collaborative reproduction. In addition to our work on behalf of our clients, Rumbold & Seidelman took a leadership role in the effort to reform of New York State’s antiquated parentage law as it relates to third-party reproduction (children conceived through sperm, egg, or embryo donation or surrogacy). We had a principal role in drafting and advocating to gain passage of the Child-Parent Security Act (CPSA) which, after a 10-year effort, took effect in New York in February of 2021. We have also been directly involved in a number of groundbreaking New York cases which have expanded the ability of New York intended parents to secure their legal relationship with their children.
While Nina is now “of counsel” to Rumbold & Seidelman, and not routinely representing clients, the imprint she left after twenty-four years of active involvement in our law firm is evident in everything we do.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:
Denise Seidelman
Fellow, American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (Board of Trustees 2016-2020)
American Society of Reproductive Medicine (Legal Professional Group)
LGBTQ+ Bar Association – Family Law Institute
New York State Bar Association
Governor Cuomo’s Adoptee Rights Workgroup – 2018
Family Equality – Emeritus Board
HONORS AND AWARDS:
2019 Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA) Mary Landrieu Supporter of Adoption through Knowledge and Action (SAKA) Award (for advocacy to gain passage of the Child-Parent Security Act)
2013 RESOLVE Hope Award for Advocacy
2013 Safe Passage Attorneys of the Week:
PUBLISHED WORKS:
2020 – New York Law Journal “The Child-Parent Security Act Is a Game Changer: Here’s What You Need to Know”
2020 – American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Legally Speaking Column: “A Medical Practitioners’ Guide to the Child-Parent Security Act”
2015 – International Bar Association Newsletter – Surrogacy in New York
2015 – “Onward and Upward: Guide For Getting Through New York Divorce & Family Law Issues” (Denise contributed the chapters on adoption and assisted reproduction)
2011 – ABA – Family Law Section – A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE INTERSTATE RECOGNITION OF FAMILIES FORMED THROUGH ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY
PRESENTATIONS
2021 – Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York Convention Continuing Legal Education Series: “Whose Baby is it Anyway”
2021 – Lawline – Insights from the Drafters of New York’s Child-Parent Security Act: Examining the Parentage Paradigm Shift
2020 – NY State Bar Association (NYSBA) – The Child-Parent Security Act
2020 – Fertility IQ – Understanding Adoption
2019 – Men Having Babies – Panel discussion about the Child-Parent Security Act
2018- New Jersey State Bar Association – Panel discussion about the New Jersey Gestational Surrogacy Act
2018 – American Bar Association (ABA) Family Law Section – “A Labor of Love” Advocacy, Collaboration and Giving Back
2018 – Women’s Bar Association – New York Reproductive Law and the Child-Parent Security Act
2018 – AAAA conference – Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk: The Power of Words, Attitude and Action
2017 – AAAA annual conference- What ART Attorneys Should Know About Adoption
2017 – Cornell Law School Guest Lecturer – Comparative Study of Surrogacy in NY
2016 – Brooklyn Bar Association – Collaborative Reproduction and the Law
2016 – National Academy of Legal Education – Building Modern Families
2016 – Law Line – Disposition of Embryos
2015 – Law Line – Building Modern Families in New York
2015 – NYC Bar Association – Child-Parent Security Act
2012 – Practicing Law Institute – Post-Adoption Contact Agreements
2012 – Practicing Law Institute – Full Faith and Credit and Interstate Adoption
2012 NYSBA Hot Topics in New York Adoption Law, LEGAL ISSUES IN ARTS
2012 – Center for Adoption Policy – Open Adoption
2011 – ABA Family Law Section – Full Faith and Credit and State Recognition of Families Formed Through Assisted Reproduction
2011 – New York State Judicial Institute – Family Building for the LGBT Community
2007 – Practicing Law Institute – Open Adoption