I've had many affiliations over my career, and many of them put me in the middle of important policy and legislative matters. I joined the Young Lawyers section of the American Bar Association when I got started in divorce law, and partly through that I found myself involved in law-making initiatives.

I'm not overstating it when I say I wrote at least five of the federal laws pertaining to such things as interstate divorce enforcement and the division of military pensions. I worked closely with Rep. Pat Schroeder for many years on the latter bill - when it was finally passed, we felt triumphant. We knew we were having a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people.

And through my work with the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, I played a central role in creating the Hague Convention's international rules on child abduction; in the early 90s I participated in International Forums in The Netherlands. Today about 84 countries today abide by the Hague Convention guidelines - I think what we have a functioning global system of child-custody enforcement. I'm proud of that.

Now I get calls related to Hague Convention cases every week - I'm called into literally dozens of international child-custody cases every year. In some cases children have been illegally removed from the U.S. by a parent, against the will of the other. I counsel other attorneys on these matters, as well as my own clients.

Generally I recommend that counsel go straight to the jurisdiction in question, in the U.S., anywhere - their physical presence is much, much more forceful than a video or printed affidavit. What's more, as long as the country in question is a Hague Convention signatory, you stand a very good chance of getting your child back home, within six weeks, which the law stipulates.

It's true, I am always on the go, always in one jurisdiction or another - but my clients can always reach me. My calls are always forwarded to me, wherever I am. I was hands-on representing my clients from my first day practicing law, and that hasn't stopped. You can't delegate expertise.

I came into matrimonial law really through my work in tax, accounting and business law. Every divorce case is its own jigsaw puzzle, with many layers of financial and personal complexity. And each case has its own unique psychological and emotional pressures. Divorce law has been both challenging and very rewarding for me. I've enjoyed it from the day I started.