In the January issue of the Family Law Journal, Julie Stather considers the difficulties of internal relocation cases. Find out more here.

Internal relocation presents the court with a starkly binary choice. For that reason such cases are often hard fought with parents perceiving that the result will be that one of them wins and one loses. This article explores the law on internal relocation and in particular the apparent opportunity of the relocating parent to ‘steal a march’ in the proceedings by effecting a so-called ‘internal abduction’. The difficulty of the ‘internal abduction’ is examined along with suggestions to avoid the ‘fait accompli’; namely the use of the Children Arbitration scheme and consideration of the pre-emptive use of Section 8 orders.

Julie has been practising in family law for almost 20 years and is a qualified family law Arbitrator and Mediator as well as a trainer of expert witnesses. She accepts direct access work. Children Arbitration can be offered remotely by 1COR, with availability for both interim issues and final hearings to be determined. Our clerks are happy to arrange your arbitration and answer any queries you may have about the Children Arbitration scheme.