Family lawyers have organized a two-day seminar in Yerevan about the interpretation and application of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction in cross-border family disputes with organizational support Concern Dialog Law Firm.

The attorneys taking part in the seminar from Armenia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom, among them also Sofya Kharatyan – Concern Dialog Senior Associate, Attorney – spoke about their experiences in cases related to this sphere.

The participants in the seminar had an opportunity to learn about the experience of the courts of England and Wales in applying the Convention and to compare this practice with the court cases in their own countries.

Experts from the United Kingdom and Russia specifically discussed article 13 of the Convention, which regulates the specific situations when the judicial or administrative authority of the requested country may refuse to order the return of the child. Reference was also made to a number of other international legal acts regarding the sphere.

During the seminar, group discussions of case studies about several aspects of the application of the Convention also took place. The participants agreed that when interpreting the Convention, serious challenges for solving the issues of the sphere include not unified approaches and the few number of specialized judges and attorneys.

This two-day event also offered an opportunity to establish business networks with colleagues from other countries. Member and Vice President of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), member of the AIJUDEFA Carolina Marín Pedreño, who was one of the speakers at the seminar, spoke about the opportunities for becoming a member of the Academy.

Concern Dialog Law Firm was established in 1998. With its team of around 70 professionals, it provides services in all legal spheres.

Among other things, the Company also has many years of experience in family dispute settlement, including in ensuring return of children during cross-border family disputes.