IAFL Committees
Posted: 7 Jul 2020 by Marlene Eskind Moses
I am delighted to launch our revamped committee structure. We are hugely indebted to Vice President, Sandra Verburgt from the Netherlands for the huge amount of work that she has put into creating new committees and restructuring existing committees and their members.
An organization like the IAFL relies enormously on the commitment, vision, energy and enthusiasm of our Fellows. In working with Sandra, I was struck again by the incredible resources that we have within our fellowship to help us make progress with the vision that the founding Fellows set on our formation in 1986 – that we would seek to improve the practice of law and administration of justice in the area of divorce and family law throughout the world.
In reviewing the committee structure, we had in mind the nature of the diverse practices that our Fellows undertake and the important work that is done. You can see from the full list of committees on the website (either as a full list under Resources/Members' Publications or as individual committees under About/IAFL Officials and Committees) that there are a number of exciting new committees.
Among them, we have created a new committee which will focus on communication with Fellows. We have very much taken into account the feedback that you have given us through the surveys that you have participated in over the last five years and want to improve the communication that we have with you. We want to keep you up to date with the work that the IAFL is doing, to promote you, the work that you do, and to provide you with information that may be useful to you and your colleagues.
We have also created a new committee which will focus on the international relocation of children. There are two new subcommittees which will focus our efforts in parts of the world where we are presently under represented or are unrepresented and where significant efforts have been made in recent years to develop relationships and identify suitable individuals for fellowship. These will focus on identifying potential fellows in jurisdictions on the continent of Africa and in Spanish speaking jurisdictions to include countries in South America, South and Central America and the Caribbean.
We have also sought to analyze some of the existing committees and have particularly focused on two things – firstly trying to ensure that Fellows who have not yet had the opportunity to be fully involved in the workings of the IAFL and the committee structure become more involved and secondly, to ensure that the work that the committees are doing is relevant and useful.
Please look at the revised committee list on the website. This is very much a work in progress and my hope is that the committee structure be “a living instrument” such that the committee membership is constantly under review. Some people will step down and others will join.
Please let me hear from those of you who would like to put your name forward for service. Many Fellows have given tireless service for not merely years, but decades. They have worked on our committees selflessly and without seeking acclaim or compensation for the significant work that they have done.
The Executive Committee and I are hugely grateful to those who have served. I look forward to working with the committee chairs and members in the coming year.
Warmest regards,
Marlene
