In cross-border family proceedings, questions often arise concerning the interaction between different legal systems and legal instruments. Proceedings may involve more than one State, different courts, and parallel procedural steps, which can make it difficult to identify the relevant rules and their order of application.

In such situations, practitioners, parties and courts may need to clarify the applicable legal framework and the procedural options available in the case, in order to proceed efficiently and avoid unnecessary procedural complications.

These issues typically arise, for example, in matters involving:

• international child abduction and return proceedings
• parental responsibility and cross-border custody and contact arrangements
• jurisdiction and parallel proceedings in family matters
• applicable law in divorce and parental responsibility
• maintenance obligations and cross-border family support
• recognition and enforcement of foreign family law decisions
• parentage and legal status of the child in international situations
• choice-of-court and applicable law agreements in family matters

How I can assist

My involvement aims to clarify the applicable legal framework and to assist professionals in identifying the relevant instruments, procedural steps and available options in a cross-border context. This may include analysing jurisdiction, determining the applicable law, assessing the interaction between national proceedings and return procedures, and examining the recognition and cross-border effect of protective or substantive measures. In practice, such input may help structure the legal arguments, anticipate procedural difficulties and reduce the risk of conflicting proceedings in different States.

Form of Engagement

Assistance may take the form of a written opinion, a case-specific legal analysis, or a discussion of the legal and procedural framework with the professionals involved. Such work is undertaken upon request and after agreement on the scope of the assignment. Depending on the matter, this may be arranged on an hourly basis or as a fixed fee for a defined task.

Languages

My working languages are English, Dutch and Bulgarian.