I CARE Foundation's Peter Thomas Senese Increases Support To Stop Child Abduction

 

Published 2:30 p.m.           October 17th, 2012                           Los Angeles, CA
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In an ongoing effort to help protect children from international parental child abduction, best-selling author and child advocate Peter Thomas Senese, the author of several internationally heralded novels including 'Chasing The Cyclone', 'The Den of the Assassin', and 'Cloning Christ' has donated 100% of his e-book royalties to the International Child Abduction Research and Enlightenment Foundation ( known as the I CARE Foundation), a New York based not-for-profit organization he is the founding director of that was created to help stop international child abduction.  In addition, to his donation stemming from his writing, Peter Senese has continued to provide additional financial support to the foundation in an effort to support its various activities.

 New York City attorney Joel Walter, a board member of the I CARE Foundation who has been practicing complex family law for nearly 40 years commented about Mr. Senese ongoing support to help protect children of abduction when he said, "Mr. Senese's continual financial support and dedication to children through his generous financial support of the I CARE Foundation has had a great influence on so many lives. It is with generous support such as what Peter has previously provided, what he continues to provide, and his honorable pledge for future support that the foundation, in part, has been able to create more than a few miracles. For example, as some of you may not be aware of, legally reuniting with a child wrongfully detained in Africa, and safely creating a path to bring that child or children back home to the United States is a very difficult task. One that has not happened too often in the grave world of international child abduction. In fact, It is a rarity.  There are numerous cases like this from all around the world.  The majority of which are not publicly mentioned due to the nature and severity of the situation . . . but they exist, and I know this first-hand because of my role with the foundation. In fact, I have said often that any person out there trying to help children is doing God's work.  And I strongly and undeniably say that about my wonderful friend Peter Thomas Senese. He asks for nothing, gives so much of his time, his money, his spirit, and his knowledge in hope of protecting others who can't defend themselves.  In the process, he never speaks poorly about anyone, but instead is the eternal optimist. Again - he's doing God's work. Along the way, Peter Thomas Senese's leadership and financial support of the I CARE Foundation has been extremely generous. His gifting comes from not only the direct donation of sales from his novels, but also directly from his own resources. Some  may not know this, but I will never forget when Peter was forced into the storms of abduction - I was there from the beginning and was the first person he turned to when we filed his own Hague Convention application- he said he would do his best to make a difference in this fight to help children.  It was a fight I quickly joined him on. And so, our work continues years later in great part initially because Peter was willing to step up to make a difference.  Something he continues to do."

"It has been incredible to see, as an author, the  impact of Chasing The Cyclone . . . so much started from the idea of a book.  That seed has grown into the I CARE Foundation, which I am thrilled to be a part of. My support of the foundation will continue to the best of my ability," added Senese.

Peter Thomas Senese's geopolitical novels include CHASING THE CYCLONE, THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN, and CLONING CHRIST. All three titles are available in E-book. Chasing The Cyclone will be released in hardcover this Christman, while both CLONING CHRIST and THE DEN OF THE ASSASSIN are presently available in hardcover.

To purchase Peter's books, please visit Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Joel S. Walter: One Of New York City's Best Family Law Attorneys Who Specializes In Complex International Divorce And Child Custody

The I CARE Foundation

In my role as the Founding Director of the not-for-profit 'International Child Abduction Research and Enlightenment Foundation', (the 'I CARE Foundation'), I am often asked for a referral for an attorney who is not only is highly knowledgeable and skilled in the area of international family law, but who has an understanding of the challenges a parent involved in complex litigation faces.

In fact, as the I CARE Foundation has continued its activity to help recruit attorneys willing to participate in the United States Department of State's Hague Convention Attorney Network, I have been in consistent contact with a rather large number of highly trained, effective, caring lawyers who work extensively on behalf of at-risk children of abduction.

On occasion I am asked, who do you think are the top family law and international divorce and child custody lawyer in New York City?

Well, there are some really great lawyers in New York who are excellent family law attorneys.  When considering how many of these attorneys are skilled in the issues of international family law, the number dwindles down significantly. Add in how many attorneys are now familiar with international child custody, including cross-border abduction, and you have a very short list of skilled lawyers.

Ironically, one of the things that I have noticed is that almost every family law practitioner makes a claim that they are familiar with international family law.

Well, when a child or children's life is at stake, 'being familiar with international family law' by studying a law book doesn't count as far as I'm concerned.

Being familiar with international family law means having hands on working knowledge of the many complexities that are involved in these specialized cases.

That is why, when I consider all the issues connected with international family law, I think New York City based attorney Joel S. Walter is in my opinion one of the best family law and international matrimonial lawyers in New York City and the surrounding area.

Attorney Joel S. Walter

Mu vantage point comes from my activity as a board member of the I CARE Foundation.  In all due fairness and with transparency, Joel S. Walter also sits on the I CARE Foundation's Board of Directors. 

Mr. Walter was nominated to the I CARE Foundation's Board of Directors one year ago, and was selected with good reason: he is a brilliant lawyer whose practice primarily revolves around complex federal court cases, including challenging international matrimonial disputes and cross-border child kidnapping.  In addition, Mr. Walter, outside of being a highly skilled litigator, possessed an unbowed desire to help children, particularly those who were or may be targeted for abduction.  Combining his legal skill set and desire to make a difference on behalf of others, there was one other trait that Mr. Walter has, and one I know is critical and important for parents dealing with international custody disputes: he knew and respected the law, and in that knowledge, he was able to obtain positive results for his clients. 

"Outside of being a great lawyer, Joel is brutally honest with his clients and does not act with chicanery before the courts."were the words used to describe Joel S. Walter by my good friend, the highly respected Honorable Ronald Aiello, who was the Chief Administrative Judge for New York State Supreme Court in both Kings Country and Richmond (and the inspiration for the character Judge Ronald Pitt in my novel 'The Den of the Assassin') nearly twenty years ago, when Joel and I first became friends.

The sentiment shared by Judge Aiello, who sadly passed several years ago, are sentiments felt by other judges who preside over either cases in New York State Supreme Court or the United States District Courts.   

For those of you who are not aware of the I CARE Foundation, our primary mission, as cited from our official website is as follows: 

 The International Child Abduction Research and Enlightenment Foundation mission is to participate in social and political dialogue that will assist in the prevention of children targeted for international parental child abduction or in the reunification of children who have been wrongfully abducted. At the core of our mission is our ongoing activity to conduct research in the area of international parental child abduction and use our findings to assist policymakers create and uphold laws and policies that will prevent innocent children from abduction. It is our further goal to educate government administrators and lawmakers of our research findings so that this information can assist direct initiatives and policies. We believe it is critical that judges overseeing abduction prevention or reunification cases must become more educated of the complexities that evolve around child abduction cases. It is our intent to play a role in educating the judiciary as well as officers of the court, including lawyers who practice family law. Finally, it is our mission to educate all individuals interested in protecting children from abduction, including parents who have children targeted for abduction so that they may be able to protect their children. At the core of the I CARE Foundation is our mission to help prevent children from being internationally kidnapped through research, education, and empowerment to create and uphold policies that will help children.

What makes me say that Joel S. Walter is one of the best international matrimonial lawyers in New York City and the United States, particularly when it comes to international disputes regarding children?

A Rare Event:
A child comes home

The answer may be found in realizing that Joel S. Walter has been heavily influential in reuniting a large number of internationally abducted children or preventing an even larger number of abductions.  Or maybe it is due to his ability to assist divorcing families resolve highly litigious and complex family court cases in a civil and amicable manner due to his no-nonsense, yet elder-statesmen character that is clearly backed by a great deal of knowledge. Or maybe it is because Mr. Walter is very involved in the I CARE Foundation's federal legislative initiatives concerning two initiatives that will, if passed into law, protect children from abduction or trafficking.

I am proud and honored to work with Joel S. Walter in our fight to stop the growing pandemic of international parental child abduction as a co-member of the I CARE Foundation's board of directors.

Based on the number of children of abduction Joel S. Walter has either helped reunite or prevented abduction from occurring, based on his long-history of practicing complex legal cases before numerous United States Federal Courts for 40 years in consecutive good standing, based upon his willingness to give of himself and come to the aid and protection of defenseless children, and based upon a wealth of knowledge that allows him to work toward successful outcomes for his clients while also working diligently toward creating and implementing new laws that will protect children from abduction, Joel S. Walter is in my opinion one of the best international matrimonial and child custody lawyers in New York City and the United States. 

Mr. Walter is licensed to practice law in New York State. He is also admitted to practice in the following courts:

• Appellate Division, First Department of New York
• The four Federal District Courts of New York (Southern, Eastern, Northern and Western)
• The Federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals

For more information on New York City Attorney Joel S. Walter, please visit his website at: www.internationalparentalchildabduction.com 

Highly Respected Florida Family Law Attorney Patricia Lee Named to the I CARE Foundation's Board of Directors

Patricia Lee is a highly respected international family law attorney primarily practicing complex child custody matters, including international child abduction prevention and reunification. The St. Petersburg, Florida lawyer has been named as a Director to the International Child Abduction Research and Enlightenment Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to preventing the illegal removal of children from the country.


New York, New York / St. Petersburg, Florida (PRWEB) December 03, 2011

The International Child Abduction Research and Enlightenment Foundation (I CARE Foundation) is pleased to announce that Department of State "Hague Convention Attorney Network" mentor and renown international family law attorney Patricia M. Lee has been named to the foundation's Board of Directors.

Patricia M. Lee is licensed in the State of Florida and based in St. Petersburg, since 1992. She focuses her law practice primarily on international issues, including the Hague Convention on the International Aspects of Child Abduction and interstate parental kidnapping, as well as the enforcement and modification of foreign orders of support and property distribution. Ms. Lee's international experience includes cases involving international family law, and parental child abduction, support enforcement or modification, and ancillary probate matters from countries such as Belgium, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Columbia, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and Guatemala. Ms. Lee utilizes both her language skills and international experience to assist in such cases, which often involve a morass of legal difficulties in foreign languages and cultures. Ms. Lee is proficient in both Spanish and German. She has traveled extensively in both Europe and Latin America, and worked with such legal issues involving clients from around the world.

The I CARE Foundation's mission is to conduct critically needed research in the area of cross-border child abduction, and publish such findings in hope to educate both government and non-government stakeholders in order to establish or modify existing policy that will protect children from abduction. In addition, the I CARE Foundation is assisting in building the Department of State's "Hague Convention Attorney Network", and creating outreach initiatives to assist undocumented parents living in the United States who have had their child abducted abroad.

Peter Thomas Senese, a director of the I CARE Foundation said, "The foundation is extraordinarily fortunate to have St. Petersburg, Florida attorney Patricia Lee join our Board of Directors. Patricia is one of the country's most experienced international family law attorneys, having participated with great success in a large number of international child abduction and custody cases around the world. Enormously intelligent, honest, fair, and committed to helping children, not only is the foundation fortunate to have Ms. Lee join our cause, but we look forward to the Department of State "Hague Convention Attorney Network" mentor's leadership, particularly as the foundation continues its efforts to recruit other attorneys to come to the aid of targeted children of abduction."

New York City based attorney Joel S. Walter, who has practiced complex law matters primarily in the federal courts for the past 40 years, and who is a director of the I CARE Foundation spoke of Patricia M. Lee. "In the circle of lawyers who practice international family law matters, including international child abduction cases to both Hague and non-Hague countries, Patricia Lee is one of our country's most established and knowledgeable attorneys. It is a privilege and an honor to have Patricia formally join the foundation's Board of Directors as her insight, knowledge, and capability will not only serve the foundation, but the individuals we seek to help."

Gloria Nyberg, who has assisted in the recovery and reunification of over 60 American children who were internationally abducted and is a Special Advisor to the I CARE Foundation's Board of Directors stated, "Patricia Lee is an immensely talented attorney deeply familiar with the complexities of international family law and Hague Convention cases. Her addition to the I CARE Foundation's leadership I anticipate will have many positive results, including our outreach to assist undocumented residents living in the United States and who have had their children internationally abducted abroad. As a person of Latin decent, Patricia is aware of the hardships and challenges this group faces, and I know her to be deeply committed to helping them and their abducted children. Today is a very good day for parents and children targeted for abduction because Ms. Lee is now part of a very strong leadership team of the I CARE Foundation."

Patricia Lee commented, "I see ICARE as a wonderful opportunity to use my skills in a very positive way. The legal and practical needs of families victimized by child abduction are overwhelming. So the training, research, education, and recruiting of other attorneys for the State Department's Attorney Network through ICARE is something I am very excited about. I think together, we really can make a difference."

For more information on international parental child abduction, please visit Peter Thomas Senese's 'Chasing The Cyclone'.