A California divorce decree is binding throughout the U.S., but enforcing it abroad, particularly in countries like Iran, requires navigating foreign legal systems with no guarantee of automatic recognition. This article surveys the principal approaches taken in common law, civil law, and Islamic law jurisdictions, with practice notes emphasizing recognition in Iran. MCLE credit opportunity.
This article introduces seven practical cultural metaphors that illuminate how cross-cultural misunderstandings arise in family court and how judges, attorneys, and mental-health professionals can more accurately interpret parties’ conduct, communication, and motivations.
This article analyzes the “pyramid of power” as a defining framework of authority and hierarchy within traditional Iranian families and explores how this structure shapes legal rights, obligations, and dispute-resolution outcomes under Iranian law and in California family-law litigation involving Iranian parties.
In California, cross-cultural couples, particularly those with Iranian or Muslim heritage, can honor both an Islamic Mahr and a state-compliant prenuptial agreement through a transparent, respectful, and legally/culturally sensitive approach.