PRESENTER BIO

Deborah Wald

Deborah H. Wald is a Certified Family Law Specialist, based in the Bay Area, whose legal work focuses almost entirely on children. Her practice is divided between family formation – including egg, sperm and embryo donation, surrogacy, and adoption – and child-centered litigation including parentage disputes, guardianships, child custody, and SIJS cases. She also serves as a Parenting Coordinator for chronically conflicted Bay Area families. She has been involved for many years in both legislation and litigation that has helped frame California’s approach to determining legal parentage. She recently served as President of the Academy of California Adoption-ART Lawyers, and is standing Chair of the National Family Law Advisory Council of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. She is on the board of the AFCC-CA chapter.