Unique and complex legal concerns often arise in international family law cases. Sometimes a noncustodial parent abducts a child and takes the child to another country. Sometimes it is the other way around, and a parent from another country needs assistance obtaining a Michigan order and warrant to return the child to his or her country of origin. The situations vary.
Schwartz Law Firm regularly handles divorce, interstate custody, parenting time and support matters on behalf of clients from throughout the United States and around the world. We have represented clients from Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, the United Arab Emirates and Japan in various family law matters. To speak to an Oakland County, Michigan, international family law attorney, contact our firm today.
International Child Custody
International child custody cases involve the 1980 Hague Convention, an international compact that helps custodial parents recover children who are abducted and held in foreign countries (which, for someone living in Korea, could be the U.S.). These cases may also involve the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA). Any attorney practicing international law needs to know and understand the interplay between, and when to utilize, the UCCJEA and/or Hague Convention provisions. Often, in international cases (and sometimes in interstate cases), it will be necessary to hire an attorney in both Michigan and the country where the client lives or to which the other parent absconded with the child. Attorney fees are also routinely granted under the UCCJEA for parents violating parenting time and/or custody orders.
Parental Kidnapping
Parental kidnapping is a felony in Michigan, and the statute states that the offense has been committed once a parent has withheld a child from the other parent for more than 24 hours after the child was supposed to be returned.
Additional information:
Are you concerned about the possibility of international parental abduction? Parents can contact the United States Department of State Children's Passport Alert System to prevent issuance of a passport for minor children who are the subject of custody disputes. The details can be found on the department's website. Pre-emptive action must be taken, however, because once the passport has been issued, the department will not be able to prevent its use in removing a child from the United States.
Is your child missing? Visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website to view a checklist of what to do in the event your child is missing.
Contact a Detroit International Child Custody Attorney
To learn more about international family law matters, contact a lawyer from our Farmington Hills, Michigan, law office to schedule an initial consultation.
