Julie and Alex have a nine-year-old son, Ben, and separated several years ago.  After a huge amount of soul-searching, Alex agreed to Julie’s proposal to relocate to another continent with their son. He and Julie worked hard to come up with an arrangement that ensured Ben’s schooling, accommodation and support networks in the new country would be as favourable as they had been here.

Contact

Before Julie and Ben left the country, Alex wanted to ensure that his contact with Ben would be respected and that he would have quick recourse to the family courts in the new country if any problems arose. In addition, the country in question required that there be an order from the family court in England granting permission for the move abroad.

Legal advice

We advised Alex on the legal implications of his situation and assisted him with working out the practicalities of how often he would have contact with Ben and what form that contact would take. We liaised with Julie’s solicitors to come up with a workable plan for regular video-calling between Ben and Alex, an annual trip for Alex to come and see Ben and an annual trip for Ben to come and see Alex back in England, taking into account the financial implications of travel and accommodation.

Agreed court order

We then worked with Julie’s solicitors to put together an agreed order for the approval of the family court. This order gave permission for Julie to relocate with Ben in the new country and set out the agreed plan for contact. Once the order had been approved and sealed by the family court here, following a short court hearing, we worked with the relevant authorities to register the order in the new country so that it could be enforced there if any disputes arose. By the time Julie and Ben moved, all possible legal protections were in place to ensure the continuity in Ben’s relationship with his father.