THE TILDEN LAW FIRM: MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Marie Tilden, owner and founder of The Tilden Law Firm, has a deep love for people – especially families and children. She founded and managed an international adoption agency 25 years ago with programs in five countries and has two internationally adopted children herself. With many years of both personal and professional experience in domestic and international adoption, she has unique insight into the legal process that goes into these cases. So, in September 2005, she decided to open her family law firm, which specializes in family formation. Adoption and surrogacy law is the company’s sole focus. Tilden has one employee, Karen Townley, who has been by her side for many years.

“My adoption work assists people from all over the world, as I not only work with local clients, but I also work with U.S. citizens residing abroad,” explained Tilden. “My adoption clients range from people adopting an infant or child locally, elsewhere in the U.S., or from a foreign country.”

Three years ago, Washington state became one of several states that permits compensated surrogacy, which has led to an explosion of people looking to grow their families through a surrogate. This helped Tilden’s business grow, too.

“It is a fascinating area of law to watch

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“I have lived through and overcome the same challenges that face our clients and their adopted children. I believe that my ability to closely relate to the stresses clients face in their family building journey is apparent to our clients.”

– MARIE TILDEN

develop, as it attempts to keep up with science,” she shared.

When the pandemic began, Tilden shares that she was thankful to not experience many negative impacts to her business. However, with international borders being closed or restricted, many clients struggled to travel abroad to begin the adoption process. She also saw a decrease in international would-be parents looking for surrogates in the United States, as surrogacy is not legal in many foreign countries. She believes that as the borders begin opening back up, there will be a steady increase in international parents looking for Washington surrogates to carry their babies.

Tilden is a longstanding Fellow of the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA), an international organization of well-qualified adoption and assisted reproduction technology attorneys. She is the only Fellow in Clark County, which makes her stand apart from other general family law attorneys who do not see many adoption cases each year. Because of this, Tilden’s services are in high demand. Not to mention, having walked her own personal road of adoption gives her the empathy needed to better connect with her clients.

“I have lived through and overcome the same challenges that face our clients and their adopted children,” she said. “I believe that my ability to closely relate to the stresses clients face in their family building journey is apparent to our clients.” VB

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