Family Solicitors Ipswich – Family legal disputes abroad


Nicola Furmston

‘It was reported this week that there has been a four-fold rise in the number of international family legal disputes. This is where a parent removes a child from England or Wales and takes the child to live abroad without the other parent’s consent. Some involve cases where children are to be taken into care and a parent wishes to subvert that.   Whilst cases involving children being taken to Middle Eastern and Asian countries most often make the headlines the majority of cases in 2012 involved European destinations. Countries which have signed up to the Hague convention are obliged to honour decisions made by the courts in England and Wales and cooperate in the return of children to the UK. However things are not so straightforward elsewhere. Divorced and separated parents can ask the Office for International Family Justice to assist and a total of 265 cases were dealt with by the office in 2012.’

Nicola Furmston is a family law solicitor at Barker Gotelee, solicitors in Ipswich

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