Map of steps and procedures · international families
Which Path?Which Step?
Anticipate, negotiate, protect, have a court decide, enforce, challenge: the right path changes with the timing and the state of the dialogue. This map sets out the legal instruments, the amicable options and the court procedures to consider when a family lives across several countries, with, for each one, when to consider it and how to proceed.
- Member of the Paris Bar
- Doctor of Law
- CNMA-listed mediator
- FR / EN
The map
Six branches, from agreement to trial
The branches follow the order of a case: anticipate, negotiate, protect, have a court decide, enforce, challenge. Click on a path: it unfolds down to the conditions and the steps. Drag to move around; zoom with the buttons, by pinching the screen or with Ctrl + scroll wheel.
Tip: each path also leads to its full sheet, further down.
Before choosing a path
Three questions
The same situation may call for a legal instrument, a negotiation and a court procedure, sometimes all at once. These three questions, in this order, guide the choice.
- 1
Is it urgent?
Violence, a risk that a child will be taken away, property at risk, a deadline for challenging a decision already running: protection comes before everything else.
- 2
Is dialogue possible?
Agreement, partial agreement, deadlock: the state of the dialogue points toward negotiation, court approval or the judge, without ever giving up the leverage of the courts.
- 3
Which countries are involved?
A path that is safe in France may be fragile elsewhere: the instrument or the decision must be recognized wherever it will have to apply.
Key
- Any of theseSeveral possible paths, to be compared according to the situation.
- In orderThe steps follow one another; each one prepares the next.
- Across bordersWhat changes as soon as another country is involved.
- Ruled outCases where the path is not open or not suitable.
- DeadlinesThe deadlines that drive the strategy.
- Rule and exceptionsA basic rule, then the cases where it gives way.
Browse
The PDF guide
The method, to take with you
A 12-page guide, the second of the four “Toolkit Guides”: the three questions to ask yourself, the six branches of the map, the deadlines not to miss and how to prepare for your appointment.
- Browse it freely online.
- Receive it free of charge by email, as a personal copy in your name.
- Updated .
Protected document, strictly for personal use: reproduction and distribution prohibited without permission.
What next?
Choosing the path is already negotiating
The right step at the right time avoids many lawsuits; proceedings brought in time often make agreement possible. I work with you to build the safest path, in France and in the countries concerned: negotiating, without giving up on going to court.
Official texts
Disclaimer
This map sets out general rules, as updated . It deliberately simplifies texts that contain specific conditions, exceptions and deadlines. It is no substitute for a consultation: the choice of a path depends on the facts, the countries concerned and, where applicable, foreign law.