Dear Karina Duvall,

I've decided to go ahead and seek a paid consultation with you. Per your request, I've paid the consultation fee at your website. Clearly, I hope that you'll be able to help me and my fiance out.

So, as previously mentioned, our situation is as follows. I’m a US citizen who is engaged to a Ukrainian woman. At the moment we are applying for a K-1 fiancee visa. Our major problem is that her ex-husband will not give us permission to take their son out of Ukraine. It should also be said that denying him custody of the child here in Ukraine will be impossible. He doesn’t do very much for his son, but apparently the ex does just enough. With all of that being said, we are still planning on bringing the child to the States. My questions now are two-fold.

First, once in the US, would it be possible to file for custody in a family court in the US? If so, how can we prepare for this eventuality now? What sort of advice could you offer now, and would this be a case you could take on in the near future?

Also, I should mention that I’m very worried about the possibility of my fiance’s ex-husband haunting us later in the future. While my fiancee is applying for a K-1 fiancee visa, we are planning on asking a Ukrainian court for permission to take the child from Ukraine on medical grounds. With that being said, I want to know what we can do (or even if this is the best strategy) to mitigate (or even prevent) the possibility of her ex-husband showing that the child was removed from Ukraine on false pretenses. Any advice or guidance you can offer in this would also be greatly appreciated.

I hope I've explained our situation adequately. Please let me know if you have any questions. Many thanks, and I look forward to your response.

I am writing a story about divorce in Russia. I would like to interview you and have your opinion on the subject.

These are the questions i would like to address:

1. What are the main reasons, according to you, behind the high divorce rates in Russia?

2. Do you believe that these issues might be related to marrying early, infidelity, alcoholism?

3. What has the government done now and what more can it do to affect the divorce rate?

4. How many divorces to you handle a year?

5. Are divorces easier in Russia? If yes, why?

6. What part to children play in the divorce? What is the perspective in Russia toward paying child support etc.?

7. Do you see a change in trend in the past two decades? Are younger people not going to have such a high divorce rate? If yes, why?

8. Lastly, have I forgotten anything on the subject? If yes please write any additional comment.

Thank you very much!

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Is All My Property Will Be Subject to Distribution upon My Divorce?

Am I Entitled to Receive Spousal Support from My Spouse?

Can I Keep the House that Was Obtained During the Marriage?

I Have Children Who Are Under 21y.o., Am I Entitled to Receive Child Support from My Spouse?