President's Blog, July 2026
Posted: 22 Jul 2026 by IAFL
Hello friends:
Happy July! Now that we have no World Cup to watch, I thought everyone could use a blog.
I just had the happy occasion of having a Fellow reach out while in my hometown of Washington, D.C. to see if I would like to get together. Pauline Montanus from the Netherlands and her beautiful family had dinner with me and my family at our home this week and it was pure joy. The networking is great but for me, the chance to get to truly know one another and have shared experiences that span countries, years, and include our families, is the best of the IAFL. And when you see Pauline next, see what she has to say about how my eggplant parmigiana tasted and report back.
Onto the business of the IAFL - it is hard to believe that only a few years ago online meetings did not feature in our everyday lives. This year, I am proud that our Academy will have organized over 25 webinars on a wide range of topics. I am grateful to our committees which actively embraced the suggestion of organizing an anniversary webinar during our 40th year. At the time of writing, each Chapter has arranged an anniversary webinar and five of our substantive Committees have done likewise.
Over 70 Fellows and family lawyers started this week by joining the IAFL in the second of a series of webinars that will focus on India as we prepare for our Annual General Meeting in Mumbai next year. This week’s topic was cross-border family law orders and their enforcement in India, Australia and England and Wales which was educational and enjoyable in equal measure. Kudos to the speaker who participated in the program on their way to participate in a local protest in India! Our Communications with Fellows Committee organizes a quarterly webinar “Maximizing Your Fellowship” which is aimed at our new and recently joined Fellows to help immerse them in the IAFL. Our Asia Pacific Chapter convenes a monthly session, the AP Hour, which covers a broad range of topics. Recent subjects have included valuations and novel asset clauses, and the role of trusts in divorce proceedings in Indonesia and Singapore. I know of at least one USA Fellow who does not flinch at joining the AP Hour at 4 am their time! Our European Chapter organizes a quarterly webinar which provides a spotlight for newly joined Fellows to share an update on family law developments and legislation in their jurisdiction. Looking ahead to next year, in addition to the regular webinars offered by the Chapters, we will be asking every Committee to arrange at least one webinar during the year.
All of these online meetings provide another connection point for our community which is particularly important for those Fellows who cannot, for whatever reason, travel regularly to our meetings. If you have not yet joined a webinar, I would encourage you to do so. Keep an eye on the webinar page and sign up for those which appeal to you. It will be an hour well spent. There is nothing more heart-warming than seeing a screenful of IAFL Fellows and friends online having a shared experience, learning together, and connecting.
Warmly,
Heather
