International Family Law Conference 2018

I was very pleased to be part of the 1 day ‘International Family Law Conference 2018’ that was co-hosted by Anthony Gold and International Family Law Group (IFLG) on 22^nd March 2018. Experts from both firms and barristers spoke on various topical issues.

The morning focussed on divorce and financial remedy related topics. It was jammed packed with excellent presentations and updates from IFLG and counsel which included jurisdiction of forum and finance cases, international trusts, financial remedy applications after a foreign divorce and reciprocal enforcement and financial orders.

Camilla Fusco, a family law partner of Anthony Gold, chaired an exciting panel discussion just before lunch on ‘Deal, no deal or in transition: Brexit and family law. As many are aware, we remain in very uncertain times. This is definitely a topic to be revisited next year when hopefully there will be a clear plan of action in place by our government.

The afternoon was geared towards children related topics and included Kim Beatson, partner and head of family law at Anthony Gold, providing an excellent update on where we are in relation to child relocation cases taking into account the recent cases of Re M (International Relocation: Welfare analysis) (2017) EWCA Civ2356 and A v B (2018) EWHC 328 (Fam).

I chose to speak on ‘personal laws or gender unfairness’ with a focus on Islamic law issues. Perhaps an optimistic topic to be covered in 30 minutes! Nonetheless, with a brief overview on recent child related matters concerning radicalisation and isolated religious communities, there was enough to demonstrate how far our judges go to ensure the right decision is made in the ‘best interests of the child’ in a non-judgmental fashion when issues of religion are put before them.

The day concluded with short presentations from David Hodson and Kim Beatson on ADR, mediation and arbitration in international cases and how these options can prove to be invaluable given the strains upon our current family justice system.

Overall – it was a real experience being able to speak alongside experts from Anthony Gold and IFLG, counsel from QEB chambers and 4 Paper buildings in various areas of specialities. I look forward to working again with the family team at IFLG. Both firms act for and advise clients based here and abroad, on all aspects of domestic and international family law.

I would like to thank everyone who attended and hope that it was a productive and useful day out of the office.

* Disclaimer: The information on the Anthony Gold website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. It is provided without any representations or warranties, express or implied.*