Ms. Ruth F. Claiborne | Attorney

Attorney Ruth Claiborne founded her law practice, Ruth F. Claiborne, P.C. in 1977 to emphasize the rights of children and families and to promote non-adversarial dispute resolution. This firm was the predecessor to Claiborne, Outman, & Surmay, P.C., formed in January 2001, when Lori M. Surmay became a partner and James B. Outman retired from Georgia-Pacific and joined as a partner.

Since her first adoption case in 1990, Ruth has established herself as one of Georgia's most pioneering and eminent adoption and reproductive technology attorneys. In 2004, she received the prestigious Angels in Adoption Award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Assistance in recognition of her extraordinary work to promote adoption in the United States. Ruth is devoted to her work in adoption and reproductive technology, which she practices with care and compassion for her clients and for the children and other parties involved. Ruth is a careful and insightful listener and practitioner, whose extensive experience in many interconnected areas of children's law and reproductive law allow her to identify and address potential problems for clients before they arrive.

In addition to more than fifteen years as a devoted adoption and assisted reproduction lawyer, Ruth has spent much of her career working as a judicial or hearing officer and serving as a legislative consultant before Congress and the Georgia General Assembly engaged in advocacy on health, education and family issues, especially those related to adoption and family law. In 1991, Ruth was named as a Magistrate Judge of the Fulton County Superior Court, and she sat by designation in Superior and Juvenile Courts for 12 years. She has also held appointments as an Administrative Law Judge for the Georgia Departments of Labor, of Education, of Human Resources, and for the Office of State Administrative Hearings. These judicial and administrative appointments have given Ruth a unique perspective on how to work within the court system to obtain results for her clients in the most efficient and least adversarial way possible. An early leader in alternative dispute resolution in Georgia, Ruth's activity as a mediator and arbitrator spans 20 years.

Ruth Claiborne received her B.A. and M.A.T. degrees from Vanderbilt University, and her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, and has served on the advisory board of RESOLVE of Georgia, Inc., an information, support and advocacy group for people with infertility. Her public service appointments include the Senate Study Committee on Adoption and Foster Care; Advisory Committees for the State Office of Adoptions and for revision of the regulations for licensed child placing agencies. In addition to representing individual clients, Ruth has also represented child caring and child placing agencies and providers of reproductive technology services.

Ruth enjoys speaking at client-oriented seminars through RESOLVE, adoption agencies, and community groups. She has made several TV appearances on CNN and on "The Layman's Lawyer". Ruth also speaks to physicians, nurses, and other health care providers on legal and practical aspects of reproductive law including egg, sperm, and embryo donation, gestational and traditional surrogacy. Ruth has served numerous public service appointments, including the Georgia Commission on Women and the Georgia Commission on Equality, and on the Georgia Commission on Child Support for 18 years, longer than any other member. Ruth is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and several sections and committees related to family law, legislation and emerging issues; the Atlanta Bar Association; and the Advisory Committee of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers.

Ruth is an active member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in downtown Atlanta, and she has held several leadership positions at St. Luke's and in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta.