Melissa Invited to Experts Meeting in London

Melissa was invited to a meeting of experts at the University of Westminster School of Law in August 2025 in London. She was asked to present on the topic of preventing international parental child abduction by making mediation a more accessible tool to families. While in England, Melissa will be attending the World Congress on Family Law and Children’s Rights at the University of Cambridge.

Melissa Wraps Up Term as Reporter of New Uniform Act

Melissa is approaching the end of her term as the Reporter of the Uniform Law Commission’s newest act, the Uniform Judicial Interviews of Children Act. This new act provides critical guidance to judges who interview children in their parents’ private disputes, such as custody cases and parental child abduction cases. The Reporter is the primary drafter of this act, guided by a committee of Commissioners (appointed by their State governments), Advisors, and Observers. This new act was put before the Uniform Law Commission at its annual meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico in July 2025 for its final line-by-line reading.

Melissa Helps Plan Meeting on International Child Relocation

Melissa is honored to be part of a Planning Committee that is organizing an invitation-only meeting in Washington, D.C. to discuss the progress and global perspectives on international child relocation. The event is a look back at the Washington Declaration, a set of guidelines published 15 years ago by the Hague Conference on International Law (HCCH) on the issue. The Planning Committee is comprised of a small group of experts from the HCCH, the Embassy of Canada to the United States, and the International Academy of Family Lawyers (of which Melissa is an active fellow and serves its global Board of Governors).

Melissa takes stage at Uniform Law Commission annual meeting

Melissa serves as the Reporter for a drafting committee in the Uniform Law Commission, which convened at its annual meeting in Boston in mid-July. During that annual meeting, Melissa’s act, the Uniform Judicial Interview of Children Act was reviewed for the first time by the entire Commission, which provided its feedback on the draft and the policy decisions taken by the committee to date. The drafting committee will continue meeting over the course of the next year, and have its final reading of the act in July 2025. The act provides guidance to judges who interview children in chambers during private children’s disputes, such as custody or abduction cases. You can read the draft of the act that was reviewed by the Commission here. You can watch the reading of the act from July 23, 2024 here (it is the Eighth Session).