Faculty of Law

International Family Law

Level of study: Master

International Family Law course aims to familiarize the students with the main trends in development of contemporary family law in foreign countries, specifics of family regulation in some national jurisdictions, and the main rules on solving cross-border family disputes stipulated in international instruments. The course will also analyze the main international documents related to family issues, jurisprudence of European Court on Human Rights, some of the national legislative acts and foreign court judgments. Thus, the course will include elements of comparative law and private international law. Besides, it will also contain elements of international law – to the extent they concern family issues and child’s rights in family context. It is, therefore, desirable, that the students have already studied the courses «Russian Family Law» and «Private International Law».

Topics covered in the course include:

  1. Marriage and Extra-Marital Cohabitation
  • Conclusion of marriage; registration of partnership
  • Marriage dissolution; termination of registered partnership
  • Property relations between spouses / partners
    • Main property regimes
    • Maintenance
    • Marriage contract; pre- / postnuptial agreements
    • Division of property and trusts
  1. Child and the Family
  • What is the «family» and who is the «parent»?
    • Assisted reproduction and family relations
  • Parental responsibility and parental custody
  • The status of a child in the family
  • The best interests of the child in the family context
  • Disputes over children: cross-border aspects
    • The Hague «Children’s» Conventions
    • Relocation disputes
  • Disputes over children: child removal from the family
    • UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; European Convention on Human Rights
  • Inter-country adoption

 

Syllabus:

 International Family Law (PDF, 400 Кб)

Semester 1

Module 2

 

Credits 2

In-class hours 24

Total hours 76

Professor

Olga Khazova

Associate Professor