Natalie Gamble (She/her)

 

Natalie is known internationally, not only as the UK’s leading fertility lawyer, but also for her gentle tenacity which has enabled much-needed change in the UK legal system.  Having built her own donor-conceived family as a same-sex parent in 2001, she was the first UK solicitor to develop a niche practice in fertility law.

She is a passionate campaigner and advocate for LGBT+ parents and families conceived through assisted reproduction.  Her impact has been recognised through inclusion in the Independent’s ‘Pink List’ of the UK’s most influential LGBT+ people, nomination for Stonewall’s Hero of the Year Award in 2008 and an invitation to meet the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street to celebrate new legal rights for same-sex parents. She has written comment pieces for the Guardian and the British Medical Journal, and is regularly interviewed by the BBC and national media.

Natalie has given expert evidence to numerous international and governmental bodies including the Hague Conference on Private International Law, the International Social Service, the Irish Parliament, the Law Commission, and various UK government departments. She regularly speaks at international legal and surrogacy conferences.

She chairs the UK and Ireland LGBT+ Family Law Institute, and was one of the very first international fellows to be admitted to the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (now co-chairing their International Committee).  She is the UK representative on the International Advisory Board of Growing Families, a member of the British Fertility Society’s Law, Politics and Ethics Committee and a member of the advisory board of the Fertility Alliance.

Natalie leads our legal work, working closely together with the rest of our legal team.

Thank you again dear Natalie. I cannot stop telling you how fantastic a human and professional you are. I read your newsletter and am so impressed about what you all do and what you have achieved in the surrogacy field. It’s so hugely inspiring.

Natalie Gamble is highly respected for her ‘absolute mastery’ of surrogacy law, gaining praise for her ‘thoughtful, insightful and knowledgeable’ approach. She has leading exerptise across fertility law and same-sex family matters.

Chambers and Partners

Natalie is the best lawyer I’ve ever dealt with.  She’s extremely thorough, diligent and knowledgeable, with excellent written and verbal presentation skills.

Natalie is passionate and extemely knowledgeable in this specialist field, offering insightful and pragmatic advice in a calm and reassuring way during the most challenging and stressful time of our lives.

She was always on my side, devoting her skill and knowledge to identify the most effective path for me to achieve my goals.

On a more personal note we just wanted to say thank you so much for the advice which Natalie gave us in our call. We feel much more reassured and well prepared for the coming journey and we consider ourselves very lucky to have been able to benefit from Natalie’s wealth of experience so early on.

A huge thank you for all your guidance and support from the very beginning of our exploration into US surrogacy. Your expert knowledge and advice was invaluable, but also the reassurance, empathy and care you showed us at every stage of the process made something quite scary feel possible. There are a handful of people A would not be here without and I would definitely say you are one of them. You really gave us the confidence to go for it. What you are doing is really so special and I just wanted to send you an email recognising that.

Watch or listen to Natalie

Addressing the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

ITV Daybreak, campaigning for maternity leave rights for parents through surrogacy

On Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, discussing known sperm donation

Public speaking highlights

2022

Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, New York City

Natalie addressed a global audience of lawyers about cross-border surrogacy and the fight for parentage recogntion, reflecting on her 15 years of experience and the importance of articulating how surrogacy should be managed ethically

2022

Irish Parliamentary evidence on international surrogacy

Natalie gave evidence to a two-hour session of an Irish Parliamentary Committee, who were considering whether to legislate to recognise Irish families conceived through international surrogacy

2015

International Judicial Conference, Windsor Great Park

Natalie was invited to give a joint presentation with High Court judge Mrs Justice Theis, addressing a conference of international judges on surrogacy law and its challenges

2013

New Families conference, London (with Baroness Hale)

Natalie was invited to speak alongside Supreme Court Justice Baroness Hale, opening the conference and discussing how UK law had evolved for LGBT+ parents and families created through assisted reproduction

2008

House of Lords debate on same-sex parent recognition

Natalie was invited to be part of a Progress Educational Trust panel debate in Westminster Hall on the eve of the Parliamentary vote on new legislation for same-sex parents.  Natalie was the panel member defending the proposed changes, alongside senior clergy and a member of the House of Lords who deeply opposed the proposals

In press and podcasts

Lawyer of the Week

Natalie Gamble advised Andy Bathie, who agreed, in a private arrangement, to donate sperm to a lesbian couple to have two children. He was pursued later by the CSA…

Lawyer in the News

Why is she in the news? Acted for a gay couple who had been tricked into an informal surrogacy arrangement by a woman, S, who subsequently refused to surrender the child.

Podcast with Chambers Inspire

Natalie was asked to speak to the LGBT+ division of Chambers and Partners legal directory about her career and values

Published research and articles

Surrogacy needs to be regulated, not prohibited

British Medical Journal, 2024 – Natalie Gamble, Lavanya R Fischer, Professor Kirsty Horsey, Professor Emily Jackson, Denise E Seidelman, Richard Vaughn

Cross-border and domestic surrogacy: an exploration of decision-making

Human Fertility, 2018 – Natalie Gamble, Helen Prosser and Dr Vasanti Jadva (Cambridge University)

Modern surrogacy practice and reform

Journal of Medical Law and Ethics, 2016 – Helen Prosser and Natalie Gamble

Other team members

Helen Prosser

Director

Kelly Blaxall

Lawyer

Robyn Jones

Paralegal

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