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.
What the work involves
The Russian side of a cross-border child matter: an order map showing which U.S. and Russian orders exist and what each can and cannot do in Russia, the competent Russian court, evidence and deadlines preserved in usable form, and the Russian proceeding run or coordinated alongside your U.S. lawyer. Every case turns on its own facts, and no outcome is promised in advance.
When this applies
What the lawyer does
What to have ready
Where it usually goes wrong
How we start
- 1. Send a short, non-confidential summary: the countries involved, the type and date of any existing court orders or documents, whether proceedings are pending and the next deadline.
- 2. We run a conflict check on that summary. Until it is cleared, please do not send names, identity documents, account details or sealed filings.
- 3. If there is no conflict, we agree the Russian-law scope and a secure way to transfer documents.
Please do not send the child's address, medical records or school records until the conflict check is cleared.
We practise Russian law and are not admitted in any U.S. state or federal court. Questions of U.S. law, admissibility and U.S. procedure belong to locally admitted counsel.
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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