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 Co-Authors Article for American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Journal

The Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (JAAML) was established in 1984 and features peer reviewed articles, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of the Family Law profession. The Journal is published by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and issued semiannually. The most recent issue focuses exclusively on international family law topics. Melissa Co-Authored the article “To Return or Not To Return – That Is The Question: Tensions Between Non-Refoulement and Orders of Return Under the Hague Abduction Convention.”The article focuses on the potential conflicts, in the United States, when a parent travels into the United States with their child and seeks asylum, and the non-traveling parent seeks the child’s return home using the Hague Abduction Convention.

Melissa served as Head of Delegation at 8th Special Commission

From October 10 - 17, 2023, the Hague Conference on Private International Law hosted its 8th meeting of its Special Commission, to discuss the practical operation of two of its seminal treaties in international family law - the Hague Abduction Convention and the Hague Child Protection Convention. This meeting is limited to Contracting States, a few select advisors to the Hague Conference, and delegates from Observer Organizations to the Hague Conferences. The International Law Institute appointed Melissa to serve as its Head of Delegation to this meeting in The Hague. The Conclusions & Recommendations from the 8th Special Commission can be found by clicking here.