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S&W Launches International ChildFind, a New Pro Bono InitiativeFirm Helps Parents Reunite with Children Victimized by International AbductionsPress Release, September 13, 2006 BOSTON, Mass…Sullivan & Worcester (S&W) LLP, is launching a new pro bono project, called the S&W International ChildFind Program. Under the program, S&W attorneys will provide legal assistance to parents of limited financial means, whose children have been abducted across sovereign borders. More than 200,000 children are abducted by family members each year. A growing number of these abductions cross international borders making it extremely difficult for left-behind parents to locate and recover their children. With the help of S&W attorneys, left-behind parents can pursue remedies under an international treaty designed to protect parental rights and to return abducted children to their prior place of residence. As a member of the International Child Abduction Attorney Network formed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, S&W attorneys have litigated many proceedings under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and the International Child Abduction Remedies Act. The project will be led by S&W partner Barry Pollack, who has successfully represented parents and children in more than a dozen international child abduction matters. He has appeared in four federal appeals related to international child abduction matters. In a precedent-setting case, Walsh v. Walsh, Pollack took the matter over on appeal and obtained a reversal, allowing two children to remain in the United States after their mother relocated with them from Ireland to flee from a pattern of domestic violence at the hands of the father. Pollack, a former federal prosecutor, is using his unique experience to train the firm's associates who want to get involved in the cause and obtain courtroom experience. "This new project presents a tremendous opportunity for us," said Pollack. "Because of the relatively short timeframe between filing and an actual trial in Hague Convention cases, we can mentor our associates to help left-behind parents in need and, at the same time, help them hone their trial skills with the guidance of experienced trial lawyers." S&W's attorneys have also represented parents whose children have been abducted to countries that are not signatories to the Hague Convention. After securing the return of two young children who had been abducted initially to Egypt and then to Cuba, S&W attorneys successfully overcame post-trial motions, in 2005, resulting in a precedent-setting jury verdict of $27 million (and, with interest, a staggering judgment of $38.3 million) in favor of a firm client against the largest private jet company in the United States based on its role in the international child abduction. S&W partner Patrick Dinardo, who chairs the firm's pro bono committee, expressed excitement at the launch of International ChildFind, explaining: "Service to the community is a long-standing tradition at Sullivan & Worcester. It is particularly rewarding when we are able to witness the impact of our efforts. Sharing our legal expertise with parents in need and helping them reunite with their children is an experience we never forget." Contact: ### About Sullivan & Worcester LLP Sullivan & Worcester LLP is a leading corporate law firm providing counsel to domestic and international clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to emerging businesses. With 200 lawyers in Boston, New York and Washington D.C., the firm offers services in a wide range of areas including corporate finance; securities; litigation; mergers and acquisitions; tax; real estate; private equity and venture capital; bankruptcy; regulatory law and employment and benefits. Sullivan & Worcester is also recognized for its representation of REITs and its deep expertise in energy and mutual fund law.
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