Two white whales are the subject of my Captain Ahab diatribes in this space. One concerns an issue of cross-border civil procedure, while the other concerns a rather goofy* interpretation of what the rest of the world views as plain language. I address here the latter of the two: the concept of a
Adoption
Habitual Residence: Two Definitions

An important term of art arises in Hague analysis, but the definition of the term varies depending on which treaty is being applied, and depending on who is defining it. Both the Hague Adoption Convention (1993) and the Hague Child Abduction Convention(1980)…
The Hague Service Convention doesn’t just apply to process

I hate to be the guy who breaks this to you, I said to the client, but there is no chance that you’ll be able to get that notice of hearing served in time. Not properly, anyway.
Poor fellow was a first-year associate, trying to get a notice of a guardianship hearing served on an…

Serving Absent Parents Outside the United States
[Originally published at vikinglaw.us]
Immigration attorneys seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status for their clients must seek an order of guardianship in state court before an Immigration Court will confer SIJ classification. In order to establish that guardianship, they (or co-counsel who practices family law) must put the child’s biological parent(s) on notice of…