Jarret Zafran, Dad of two via Surrogacy, Attorney, Founder of Brownstone Surrogacy, and a Magic Maker

Jarret Zafran shared, "The relationship between parent and surrogate is one that is suffused with gratitude and trust, and they are, when done right, really beautiful."

That phrase “when done right” is the thread that runs through Jarret's entire story. It's why a man with every reason to stay on a well-paved professional path chose instead to build something new.

The career he left behind

By most measures, Jarret had already arrived. He earned his A.B. from Harvard University and his J.D. magna cum laude from NYU School of Law. He clerked for two federal judges — Raymond J. Lohier, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Alison J. Nathan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York — before becoming a litigator at WilmerHale, one of the country's most prestigious law firms. There he handled complex litigation, regulatory, and enforcement matters, while keeping an active pro bono practice in criminal justice, immigration, and LGBTQ+ rights. Earlier still, before law school, he had worked as an analyst at Benenson Strategy Group, including research for President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.

It was, in other words, exactly the kind of secure, lucrative career most people spend a lifetime trying to reach. Leaving it was not an obvious decision. It took a deeply personal experience to set a different course.

The journey that changed everything

Jarret's connection to surrogacy began with his own desire to build a family with his husband, Elliot. Like many LGBTQ+ intended parents, their path forward required navigating a thicket of legal, medical, and logistical questions. Through IVF, egg donation, and gestational surrogacy, Jarret and Elliot welcomed their daughter Naomi. The experience reshaped how Jarret understood the entire process.

They worked with a large, reputable agency, and their gestational carrier was wonderful. But both Jarret and his surrogate came away from the journey sensing the same thing: something was missing. The professional support was competent, yet a certain personal touch — the warmth you'd expect from a trusted friend walking beside you through one of the most emotional chapters of your life — simply wasn't there. The realization stuck with him. A surrogacy agency, he believed, could be both deeply professional and genuinely personal.

Why he made the leap

There was a second reason Jarret left his firm, and it was about ethics.

Right around the time Naomi was born, New York finally legalized compensated gestational surrogacy through the Child-Parent Security Act. The new law raised the bar for the entire field. It established a Surrogate's Bill of Rights protecting bodily autonomy and the right to independent legal counsel, created a state licensing regime for agencies, and prohibited licensed agencies from having financial relationships with the lawyers and fertility clinics they work alongside.

To most people, the fine print of conflict-of-interest rules might sound technical. But to a litigator trained to spot exactly those conflicts, it was galvanizing. Jarret saw a growing movement to do surrogacy the right way, and he wanted to help lead it. So he left and founded Brownstone Surrogacy, building the agency he, Elliot, and their surrogate would have wanted guiding them.

An agency built to do things right

Based in New York City and licensed by the New York State Department of Health, Brownstone places ethics and transparency at the center of everything it does. That commitment shows up in concrete ways. Fees are spelled out clearly, with honest estimates of total costs. Clients keep a single, consistent point of contact rather than being passed from coordinator to coordinator. Surrogates choose their own attorneys and work with an independent escrow agent. And no wealthier client gets to cut the line or receive special treatment, which is a quiet but radical stance in an industry that too often caters to the highest bidder.

Even the agency's identity reflects its values. The name Brownstone evokes the stability and rootedness of New York's iconic homes, the foundation of a family. Its mascot, the puffin, is a fitting symbol too. Puffins are intentional about building their families, raise their young as equal partners, and form deep, lasting attachments to home. Today Jarret co-leads the agency with Yesenia Lemus, an experienced two-time surrogate, pairing a parent's perspective with a surrogate's. This ensures both sides of every journey are truly understood.

Family, and a foundation

Jarret now lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with Elliot and their two daughters, Naomi and Annie. Both were born through the very process he now helps others navigate. His story reflects a powerful pattern within the surrogacy world. Families who have experienced the journey themselves often become the most passionate advocates for helping others build theirs.

What makes Jarret's chapter distinct is what he was willing to trade for it. He didn't stumble into surrogacy as a business. He chose it over a career many would consider the destination. The gratitude and trust between parent and surrogate that he describes so beautifully aren't abstractions to him. He has lived them, and he built Brownstone so that the next family can, too.