With decades of experience in adoption and assisted fertility law, we are passionate about helping our clients achieve legal security as they build their families.
As Fellows of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, we have demonstrated our in-depth knowledge of this unique aspect of family law.
With over 50 years of combined experience, the attorneys at Tarnelli & Hughes LLP provide high-quality representation throughout Vermont. Whether you need assistance with adoption, fertility, or your family, contact us today.
Answers to common questions about the firm and how we work with Vermont families.
Tarnelli & Hughes is a Vermont law firm focused on fertility and family law, including adoption, assisted fertility, divorce, collaborative divorce law, and guardianships. The attorneys bring over 50 years of combined experience representing families throughout the state. Some other facts about the firm:
In addition to helping draft the Vermont Parentage Act, they are involved in Vermont legislation regarding adoption, assisted reproduction, and surrogacy.
They are attorneys licensed to practice in Vermont and New York.
They are members of the Legal Professional Group for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).
They are members of the Society for Ethics for Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS).
Michelle was the leading author/contributor for surrogacy, assisted reproduction, and adoption in the upcoming edition of The Legal Rights of Women in Vermont, to be published by the Vermont Commission on Women.
The firm is located in the historic Maltex Building at 431 Pine Street, Suite 301, in Burlington, Vermont. They represent clients statewide.
The firm is led by Kurt M. Hughes and Michelle A. Tarnelli. Both are Fellows of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, reflecting deep expertise in family formation and reproductive law. They are also the only Vermont AAAA Fellows actually located in Vermont.
Yes. The firm handles both sides of the family law spectrum — helping clients build families through adoption and assisted fertility, and helping clients navigate divorce, separation, custody, and guardianship matters.
Yes. The firm actively serves LGBTQIA+ clients across all practice areas, including same-sex adoption, second-parent adoption, assisted fertility, and pre-birth parentage orders — legal tools that can provide security for LGBTQIA+ families in Vermont.
Both attorneys hold Fellow status with the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, a credential reflecting specialized expertise. Kurt Hughes also helped write Vermont's Parentage Act, bringing direct legislative knowledge to the firm's assisted fertility practice.
The firm is based in Burlington and provides legal representation throughout Vermont. Their ART practice extends into New York State.
Yes. Tarnelli & Hughes handles everything from collaborative, uncontested cases to highly contested litigation including divorce, termination of parental rights proceedings, and appeals to the Vermont Supreme Court.
The attorneys bring over 50 years of combined experience in Vermont family law, with deep roots in adoption, assisted fertility, and domestic relations matters.
Don't see your question here? Every family's situation is different, and we're glad to talk it through.
Families planning to welcome a child through surrogacy in the United States may have questions about recent changes in federal citizenship policy. For intended parents who are not U.S. citizens, ongoing court challenges raise important questions about citizenship documentation, passports, and travel home after a child’s birth.
Two lawsuits directly address these concerns. Although litigation is underway and an existing court order protects certain children, families should not assume that every surrogacy arrangement is covered or that travel documents will be issued without difficulty.
This article summarizes the current status of international surrogacy in the United States, subsequent to Executive Orders 14418 and 14419, issued by the Trump Administration on August 6, 2026
