Cases that involve Child Custody and Parental Abduction or Kidnapping need to be heard quickly and any parent will tell you that time away from and out of contact with their child is gut-wrenching, which is one of the reasons that the Hague Convention on International Custody has time limits and the child access solicitors have all the information.

Under Article 11, there is a goal of cases being heard within six weeks.

Article 11

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 commencement of the proceedings, the applicant or the Central Authority of the requested State, on its own initiative or if asked by the Central Authority of the requesting State, shall have the right to request a statement of the reasons for the delay. If a reply is received by the Central Authority of the requested State, that Authority shall transmit the reply to the Central Authority of the requesting State, or to the applicant, as the case may be.

The lawyers in our offices in Los Angeles County are aware of the need to act quickly in cases involving kidnapped children, because the longer they are away from their alienated parent, and with their abductor, the harder it becomes to fight in court and to undo the emotional and mental trauma that is done by the alienating parent. We try to prevent these kind of cases when child custody agreements are involved. Children should be the last to suffer due to these situations.