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Child Abduction Lawyers Association
CALA
About Us
The Child Abduction Lawyers Association (“CALA”) is a body of specialist child abduction lawyers, which includes the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit Panel Members. The decision to form CALA was made at a meeting in London on 11th September 2014 and formal membership was opened at the beginning of 2015.
We are specialist solicitors, barristers, academics and others with an interest in this field. The intention is to represent most of the specialist practitioners in this area of work.
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The specific aims of CALA are:
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To formalise the informal network of child abduction lawyers that already exists:
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To improve and maintain high standards of service in matters involving child abduction;
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To be the collective voice of child abduction lawyers in relation to proposed legislation or Family Division changes to practice and procedure.
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To improve the links and communication between child abduction lawyers in England and Wales and similar specialists throughout the world.
History of CALA
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In June 2014 a small group of child abduction lawyers met together in England to discuss whether it would be useful to have an association specifically for Child Abduction lawyers. We had only recently returned from an international conference in The Hague, Netherlands, organised by LEPCA (Lawyers in Europe for Parental Child Abduction) where we had met Dutch colleagues who had already formed such an organisation. Fresh from these stimulating few days in The Hague we were enthusiastic to find new ways for the international and domestic child abduction community to collaborate for the benefit our clients and the children who are at the very heart of these cases.
On 11 September 2014 child abduction lawyers in England and Wales were invited to attend a Charter meeting for the association. The enthusiasm for an Association that would formalise the informal network that already existed, that was committed to sharing information and ideas, to learning from one another and maintaining the current high standards of the profession and that would be the collective voice for the profession was unanimous. CALA was inaugurated.
CALA welcomes all professionals who have an interest in Child Abduction law to join and become a part of the exciting new association.
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