Can the outcome be guaranteed in advance?

No. Documents, risks, deadlines and legal options can be assessed, but the result depends on the facts and on the decisions of the competent authorities.

Do you advise on U.S. law?

No. The Russian lawyer advises on Russian law and handles Russian proceedings. Questions of U.S. state or federal law, procedure and admissibility are for counsel admitted in the relevant U.S. jurisdiction.

A conflict check on a short, non-confidential description of the matter. Sensitive documents are exchanged only after scope and a secure channel are agreed.

Area of practice

A child case between the United States and Russia

Russia is a Hague Convention country, but the Convention is not in force between Russia and the United States. That changes the first question in the case — and what has to be preserved before either country's process moves.

Why the Convention does not help here

Russia acceded to the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention in 2011, but under Article 38 the Convention enters into force between two states only when the other state accepts the accession. The United States has not accepted Russia's. The U.S. Department of State lists Russia as a Convention country and, separately, not as a U.S. treaty partner. A standard Hague return petition is therefore not available between the two countries.

A U.S. order is not self-executing in Russia

Holding a custody order is not the same as holding an order that works in Russia. Its possible uses there — as evidence, as part of the history, as a basis for a recognition argument, or alongside a new Russian proceeding — depend on what the order is, whether it is final, how the other parent was notified, and where the child is now. Each of those is checked before anything is filed.

What Russian counsel does — and does not do

We advise on Russian law, identify the competent Russian court, assess and authenticate documents, preserve the Russian procedural position and coordinate with your U.S. lawyer. We do not advise on U.S. state custody law and do not appear in U.S. courts; that part of the case belongs to counsel admitted in your jurisdiction. The two lawyers work from one chronology and one list of deadlines.

This is work we do

Cross-border child matters involving Russia are part of the office's practice, including cases where a foreign order and a Russian proceeding had to be read together. The lawyer is listed as an attorney by U.S. consular services in Russia. Every case turns on its own facts and no outcome is promised — but the route, and the places where it usually breaks, are familiar from practice rather than from descriptions.

When this applies

Your child was taken to or kept in Russia after an agreed trip

You hold a U.S. custody order and need to know what it can do in Russia

A Russian court proceeding about your child has started, or may start

You are a U.S. attorney and need the Russian side of the case handled

You need to preserve evidence and deadlines in Russia while the U.S. case continues

What the lawyer does

Maps the jurisdictions, existing orders and next deadlines in both countries

Assesses what a U.S. order can and cannot do in Russia, and on what basis

Identifies the competent Russian court and the relief that can lawfully be sought there

Preserves communications, travel records and parental-status documents in usable form

Coordinates with U.S. counsel so a position taken in one country does not damage the other

Handles or coordinates the Russian proceeding

What to have ready

Where the child lived before the disputed move, with dates

The documents that govern parental responsibility, residence, travel or contact

Every existing U.S. or Russian proceeding and the next known deadline

How and when each parent received notice of those proceedings

Communications showing consent, its limits, planned return dates or later objections

Any safety evidence: dated messages, medical or police records, school records

Where it usually goes wrong

The case is designed as a Hague petition that cannot be brought

A U.S. order is treated as automatically enforceable in Russia

A deadline in Russia passes while the U.S. case proceeds

Safety concerns are asserted as labels rather than proved as evidence

The two lawyers work from different chronologies

Next step

Review the documents, deadlines, jurisdiction and a realistic legal position

A consultation helps you see the structure of the dispute and the available steps — without promising an outcome.

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