Lecturer Bios
Denise E. Seidelman, Esq.
Denise E. Seidelman, Esq. is a Partner in the firm of Rumbold & Seidelman, LLP www.adoptionlawny.com and has been practicing exclusively in the areas of adoption and reproductive law since 1996. She is on the Board of the New York Attorneys for Adoption and Assisted Family Formation (NYAAFF) and on the Emeritus Board of Family Equality.
She was also on the Board of Trustees of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA) from 2016-2020. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Washington College of Law. She is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey and also admitted to practice before the Federal District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
Denise lectures frequently in the area of adoption and reproductive law and has presented on these topics for Lawline, the ABA Family Law Section, the Practicing Law Institute, the New York Judicial Institute, Men Having Babies, and the New York City Bar Center for Continuing Legal Education. In 2011 Denise, with a few of her NYAAFF colleagues, wrote the first draft of the bill that would become the Child Parent Security Act (CPSA).
Denise was also the primary liaison between the legislative bill sponsors, the Governor’s office and the Protecting Modern Families Coalition which formed to gain passage of the bill. After over ten years of hard work the CPSA finally went into effect on February 15.
Finally, Denise has written articles explaining the Child Parent Security Act both for the New York Law Journal https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2020/04/27/the-child-parent-security-act-is-a-game-changer-heres-what-you-need-to-know/ and as a guest author for the Legally Speaking Column for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Rebecca L. Mendel, Esq
Rebecca L. Mendel, Esq. is a partner in the New York City firm, Rosin Steinhagen Mendel,
PLLC. She has been with the firm since 1998, and became a partner of the firm in 2004.
Rebecca Mendel graduated from Emory University in 1993, with a B.A. in political science. In
1998, Rebecca received her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
At Rosin Steinhagen Mendel, PLLC, Rebecca=s focus is on is adoption law and family
formation law. She handles domestic independent/private adoptions, step-parent adoptions,
second-parent adoptions, birth parent representation, re-adoptions, registration of foreign
adoption decrees, private agency adoption, adult adoptions, and foster care adoption matters.
Rebecca also represents people participating in assisted reproductive technology matters,
such as compensated or compassionate surrogacy matters, egg donation agreements, sperm
donation agreements and embryo donation and disposition agreements.
For over ten years, Rebecca was actively involved in the drafting the Child Parent Security Act
in New York and was so pleased when it was finally signed into law in April 2020.
Rebecca has also represented numerous foster care agencies in termination of parental rights
proceedings and other aspects of foster care litigation in pursuit of permanency for children in
foster care.
Rebecca has lectured about adoption at numerous organizations and as part of the training for
the New York City Family Court Judges.
Rebecca is a fellow of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys.
Rebecca served on the Executive Committee for the Association of the Bar of the City of New
York from 2016-2020. Rebecca is a past Chair of the Family Court & Family Law Committee
of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and she currently is a member of the
Council on Children Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. She is
also a member of the New York State Bar Association, Committee on Adoption. Rebecca is a
member of the National LGBT Bar Association. Rebecca is also a founding member of the
New York Attorneys for Adoption and Family Formation, and serves as its Vice President.
