The Hispanic Issues Section is pleased to collaborate with the Family Law Section, the Immigration & Nationality Law Section, and the International Law Section in in presenting a free CLE webinar, relevant to the practice of law, scheduled for noon CDT on Wednesday, December 18.
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Navigating International Parental Child Abduction Cases
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Noon – 1 p.m. CDT
FREE (all section members welcome)
Description:
Panelists will cover the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, for which the U.S. Department of State serves as the U.S. Central Authority. The convention provides a civil remedy for securing the prompt return of “wrongfully removed” or “wrongfully retained” children to their countries of habitual residence, and also addresses “access rights.” Panelists will also speak about the role of the U.S. State Department in abduction cases, its prevention efforts, the filing and litigation of Hague cases, as well as the volunteer-based Hague Convention Attorney Network.
Speakers:
Vlad Lipschutz is the director of the Office of Children’s Issues. Since joining the U.S. Department of State in 2003, he has assisted Americans abroad and advanced U.S. border security as a consular officer in Jerusalem, Israel, Chengdu, and Beijing, China, and Baku Azerbaijan. He also served as the Principal Officer in Wuhan, China, where he engaged with government, business, and civil society to promote U.S. exports, expand cultural and educational exchange, and explain U.S. values. In Washington, he worked on policy planning, human rights, and rule of law issues at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, on counterterrorism and border security issues at the Bureau of Counterterrorism, and on consular policy at the Bureau of Consular Affairs. He also served as a Pearson Fellow for the Homeland Security Committee at the U.S. House of Representatives. Before joining the U.S. Department of State, he worked as an attorney at the U.S Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice. Vlad is a distinguished graduate of the National War College, as well as of Temple University School of Law, and Franklin & Marshall College.
Sarah Freuden is an attorney adviser in the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Consular Affairs (L/CA) at the U.S. Department of State. She advises on the legal aspects of international parental child abduction, arrests and wrongful detentions, consular crisis management, and consular fees and funding. Sarah previously worked as an attorney adviser in the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Employment Law (L/EMP), where she handled employment litigation against the Department and advised on appointment law, whistleblower protection law and the law governing prohibited personnel practices, and employee responsibilities abroad. Prior to joining the Department, Sarah served as interim program director of the International and Comparative Law Program at the George Washington University Law School (GW Law), where she also taught for several years as an adjunct professor. She has worked with USAID and the American Bar Association Rule of Law initiative in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and clerked for a federal district court judge. Sarah obtained her J.D. from GW Law summa cum laude.
Nicole Pierre-Posivak has been a prevention officer in the Abduction Prevention Branch of the Office of Children’s Issues since 2021. Her overseas U.S. Embassy assignments included Panama, Niger, Honduras, and Guatemala. Additionally, she accompanied her foreign service officer spouse and family to Peru and Canada. In her role as a Prevention Officer, she speaks with internal and external groups regarding abduction prevention measures, which include the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP) and the Prevent Abduction travel alert program. She covers several U.S. passport agencies for these Programs and holds Prevention’s Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA = The Americas) portfolio due to her proficiency in Spanish and familiarity with the region. She is also a member of CI’s IPCA Training Committee. Nicole holds a master of arts in international education from The American University and a bachelor of science in languages and linguistics from Georgetown University.
Elena Corona is a division chief in the Office of Children’s Issues at the Department of State. The mission of the Office of Children’s Issues is to prevent and resolve international parental child abduction (IPCA). As Division Chief, Elena directs policy and guidance for bilateral, multilateral, and interagency coordination. Elena also serves as office- wide coordinator for staffing and workload management for over 100 direct hire foreign and civil service officers, contract, and student intern staff. Prior to joining the Department of State in 2010, Elena worked at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. With over 20 years of experience in resolving missing children’s cases, Elena often serves as Acting Director for Children’s Issues and regularly represents the office in bilateral and multilateral meetings. Elena earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish language and her master’s degree in Educational Leadership.
Fabiana Villamor is a career civil servant and has served as the branch chief for WHA-South Abductions in the Office of Children’s Issues since 2017. She joined the Department in 2011 and worked on incoming abduction cases as a country officer. Prior to joining the Department, she worked at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). She brings over 15 years of expertise on the issue and provides her team with guidance on bilateral policies, strategic direction, and subject-matter expertise on child abduction matters. She is a graduate of George Mason University and completed coursework in International Relations at Webster University. She is a native Spanish speaker.
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