In such cases it is important as a lawyer to be familiar with European and international legal provisions, some of which overlay German legal provisions.

In these cases, it must be clarified in advance which court has jurisdiction under international private law and which legal system is applicable in terms of substantive law. If a German family court may have jurisdiction, foreign family law may still apply in the proceedings before the German court. In some cases, courts in different contracting or member states may have jurisdiction for family court applications, so that ultimately the court to which the corresponding application was first made becomes responsible.

When determining the amount of maintenance claims or when enforcing maintenance claims, special provisions of European law are important. There are often considerable new regulations in the legal area of the European Union.

If a child is taken to another country without the consent of the other parent, quick action and a return application under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (also known as the Hague Child Abduction Convention) is required. This multilateral agreement deals with and regulates cases of international child abduction among the contracting states of this agreement.