Whenever I speak at law schools, I always emphasize the growing need for international lawyers. There is a particular need for this in the individual (as opposed to corporate) arena. As people more and more live and marry and buy houses and die outside their home countries, the need grows for lawyers who understand the international legal issues that can arise from these life events.
Divorces with international ramifications are now becoming common. When an expat married to a Chinese citizen contacts us for help on their China divorce, I suggest they first get a divorce lawyer in China and, if necessary, also get an additional divorce lawyer in their home country. Then, if those lawyers need assistance on any cross-border issues, they can call my firm. We virtually never get these calls, simply because not many people can afford three sets of lawyers on one divorce.
The response I usually get to this is a request for me to reccomend a Chiense divorce lawyer in whatever city it is in which they are located. I then usually have to tell them that I have no referrals in their particular city. Lately though, I have been mentioning that they check out the Divorce in China blog, which is written in English by Ann Lee, a Shanghai based Chinese licensed lawyer. Ms. Lee does a nice job talking about China’s divorce laws, particularly as they apply to expat divorces. I know of no other comparable English language resource and these people going through divorce in China seem pleased to have a place where they can read more about it.
If you want/need information on China’s divorce laws, I suggest you too check it out.
