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13 January 2023 / Mani Singh Basi
Issue: 8008 / Categories: Features , Child law , Family , International justice
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Holiday abductions: far from home (Pt 3)

In the third part of his series on the Hague Convention, Mani Singh Basi offers advice on efficient timetabling & evidence of habitual residence
  • Provides some practical considerations which lawyers representing clients in 1980 Hague Convention proceedings must bear in mind.
  • Notes the Hague Convention exists to secure the swift return of children who have been wrongly removed from their home country.
  • Sets out processes which family practitioners should follow to ensure clients have the greatest opportunity to have their child returned.

The 1980 Hague Convention cases in the High Court are a specialist area of the law, and it is essential that practitioners working in this field stay on top of developments and procedures. To start with, Art 11 of the 1980 Hague Convention states the following:

‘The judicial or administrative authorities of Contracting States shall act expeditiously in proceedings for the return of children.

‘If the judicial or administrative authority concerned has not reached a decision within six weeks from the date of

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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