One of the most dramatic events in divorce, or post-divorce parenthood, is when one of the parents wishes to move with the children to another city, geographic area or another country.
Even if the relocation is in relatively close proximity, it could be a game-changer in that it completely changes all previous arrangements regarding parental involvement, sleepovers in the middle of the week, etc. Cases in which a parent wishes to relocate therefore require the involvement of experts who specialize in dealing with such situations.
When coming to court, the court needs to decide whether to approve the relocation, a decision that will have immense effect on the children and their relationship with their parents.
If the court decides that the children are not to relocate, the parent who wishes to move has two poor options: either going ahead with the relocation but leaving the children behind, or giving up on his or her intention to move. Both options have a significant toll on the life of the parent who wanted to move. Moreover, the parent will not always have the possibility to not move, and sometimes he or she will be obliged to relocate for some reason.
Relocation cases can reach the court before the move is made, when the parent who wishes to move applies to the court for permission to do so, or when a parent who learns of the intention of the other parent to relocate applies for an order to prevent the relocation.
But in other cases, a parent may have relocated with the children without gaining permission to do so. In these cases, the hearing before the court is held post-factum, when the children had already moved, and the request of the stay-behind parent is that the court would give an order for the children to return to where they had lived (which could be very difficult in many cases).
Filing the correct applications, ones that are framed correctly and are supported with the right arguments and references, is crucial in relocation cases. Knowing what needs to be done, and being able to do so promptly and in the highest standard, could determine the fate of the children and their parents.
Dr. Mazeh had dedicated years to studying this issue of relocation litigation in depth, both academically and in practice. Along with examining hundreds of judgments from various countries, he has examined the Israeli case law on this matter over twenty years, both with respect to relocation within Israel, and international relocation (either from or to Israel). In his studies, Dr. Mazeh discovered surprising factors which affect the courts' decisions, and which should be taken into consideration when litigating a relocation case.
His extensive knowledge of this issue, along with his expertise regarding the needs of children in the context of divorce, have led many to see him as a worldly expert in this field.