Posted: 04/11/2024
The sixth edition of the best-selling publication, Family Law: A Global Guide, known to family practitioners as the ‘Blue Book’, has now been published by Thomson Reuters.
The Blue Book is edited by leading international family lawyer, Penningtons Manches Cooper partner and Visiting Professor at Ulster University, James Stewart, who is described as 'one of the most visible faces in UK family law' by Spear’s Magazine.
The Blue Book is authored by some of the world’s leading family lawyers and is the definitive comparative international guide to family law, covering 62 major jurisdictions. Almost all chapter authors are Fellows of the IAFL, the worldwide association of practising lawyers who are recognised by their peers as the most experienced and skilled family law specialists in their respective countries. Notable chapter authors include Pinky Anand, former additional Solicitor General of India, Efosa Etomi, the President of the AWLA and Nigeria’s preeminent family lawyer and UEA lawyer Diana Hamade, one of the most sought after family specialists in the Middle East and J Benjamin Stevens, the President of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
The book has been expanded to include a number of significant new chapters on Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Portugal, Slovakia and Thailand. It has been expanded to include eleven US jurisdictions namely, California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington State with new US chapters focussing on Georgia and Illinois.
It covers all key family law issues including jurisdiction and conflict of law; pre- and post-nuptial agreements; divorce, nullity, and judicial separation; children; surrogacy and adoption; cohabitation; family dispute resolution; civil partnership/same-sex marriage; media access and transparency, as well controversial areas and reform.
In the words of IAFL President, and Scotland chapter author, Rachael Kelsey:
“One glance at this book will reveal the very significant developments in family law which have arisen over the last two years, including the impact of Brexit on a harmonised family law system across the EU. The international practice of family law is developing at a pace which is very difficult for even the most experienced of practitioners to manage. The simple, step-by-step, jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction approach adopted by this book provides a foundation upon which all family lawyers can navigate this ever-changing landscape.”
James first conceived the idea of a multi-jurisdictional guide to international family law in 2011, and, with the backing of Thomson Reuters, the first edition was launched in April 2012 at a IAFL European Chapter Meeting in Greece. Accordingly, the book’s first edition was ‘Greek flag blue’, and indeed, it continues to be known as the Blue Book. The unprecedented success of the first edition was followed by launches of the second, third and fourth editions in 2013, 2015 and 2018. James has acted as General Editor for each edition.
James provided a preface to the book and co-authored the chapter on England and Wales with his Penningtons Manches Cooper colleagues Rebecca Dziobon, Elizabeth Carson and Natalia Spyridaki.
James Stewart, in welcoming this publication, said: “I am so proud to be associated with this fantastic publication. The Blue Book is a powerful tool, which every international family lawyer should be using. I would like to thank all of my chapter authors who have worked so hard on this project and who have succeeded in producing this brilliant resource for family lawyers around the world. Special thanks to our amazing Commissioning Editor, Madeleine Jackson, Adam Hunt and the rest of the team at Thomson Reuters/Practical Law for the tremendous support which they provided me and all the chapter authors.”
The Blue Book is available both in hard back via Thomson Reuters / Sweet & Maxwell and digitally via the Westlaw and Practical Law websites.
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