International Family Law Attorneys in Los Angeles, CA

Family Law Services for Cross-border Divorce, Custody, and Related Matters Tied to California

What Counts as an International Family Law Matter?

International family law covers divorce, custody, support, property, and other family law issues when at least one part of the case involves another country.

This can happen when one spouse lives abroad, when assets are held in foreign countries, or when a child has ties to more than one nation through citizenship, residence, or travel.

These matters often require counsel who can address the California side of the case while keeping the international piece in view.

International Family Law Counsel for California Matters

At Provinziano & Associates, we handle cross-border family law matters, guiding clients through the California side of the case and coordinating with counsel abroad when action is also needed in another country.

We bring more than 100 years of combined family law experience and extensive California courtroom experience to international matters, with more than 3,800 court appearances, including cases heard in Los Angeles County Superior Court family law departments.

Our lead attorney is a Certified Family Law Specialist, certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization, and regularly teaches, moderates, and speaks at cross-border family law conferences on cross-border issues, including Hague Convention matters and modern assets.

Senior Associate Attorney Lance Duran in France supports our European matters through on-the-ground coordination and case strategy.

Legal Guidance That Accounts for Distance, Culture, and Everything in Between

You’ve done your part—held the conversations, gathered documents, reached out for advice, and tried to keep the peace. Now, let us help ease the legal pressure and offer a way forward that aligns with what you’re working toward.

International Divorce for Lives That Span Borders

You and your spouse may hold citizenship in different countries, or be managing dual citizenship.

At Provinziano & Associates, our international divorce lawyers handle cross-border marriage dissolutions with a focus on structure, enforceability, and minimizing unnecessary disruption.

Whether the case is based in California or must be coordinated with a foreign court, we guide clients through the process with a strategy designed for global lives.

International Custody: When Distance Puts Parenting at Risk

You’re just asking to stay present in your child’s life. But when international borders come into play, even basic parenting rights can be put to the test.

Maybe your co-parent is threatening to relocate without your consent. Maybe they already have. Or maybe you’re the one moving and need to protect your time with your child while following the law.

Our international child custody attorneys help parents protect access, enforce agreements, and defend against unauthorized relocations.

International Child Support That Reflects Your Child’s Real Needs

It’s not unusual for one parent to feel overburdened, and the other to feel under-supported, especially when income is earned internationally or living costs differ across borders.

What’s fair on paper doesn’t always match the reality of how a child is raised, or how finances actually work in two different countries.

As international child support attorneys, we help clients establish and revise support arrangements that reflect more than line items.

Spousal Support Across Borders, Designed for Real Life

You could be in one country while your former spouse lives in another, and both of you are trying to establish or update a support order that feels fair and reflects your real circumstances.

Between tax treatment, income classification, currency exchange rates, and enforcement concerns, international spousal support decisions require more than a formula.

Whether you’re being asked to pay, seeking support, or enforcing an international order, our international alimony attorneys in Beverly Hills help develop arrangements that align with how your life actually works.

Dividing & Protecting Property Without Losing Sight of What You’ve Built

Dividing property in an international divorce involves separating a life that spans jurisdictions, currencies, and legal systems.

Whether you’re dealing with real estate abroad, family trusts, equity in a foreign company, or a complex financial portfolio, the risks of missteps are higher when the laws don’t match and when the assets don’t sit neatly within one country’s reach.

Our international property division lawyers focus on creating long-term strategies that help preserve what you’ve built, even when circumstances change.

Who We Serve

We represent individuals and families with cross-border family law matters tied to California, including dual citizens, expatriates, diplomats, and military families.

Common situations include:

Why International Family Law Cases Are Different

International Counsel Coordination Is Part of the Strategy

International family law does not stop with California filings. When your case involves another country, we coordinate with trusted family law counsel in that jurisdiction so California orders, foreign procedure, enforcement issues, and timing decisions are aligned from the start.

Through Alphonse Provinziano’s IAFL membership and the firm’s working relationships with international family lawyers, barristers, solicitors, and European counsel, we can identify local procedure, enforcement concerns, and practical risks before they become case problems.

Services Our International Family Law Attorneys Provide

Our international family law attorneys advise and represent clients in a wide range of California matters involving another country, foreign court, overseas assets, or cross-border family issues, including:

  • Case Filing, Jurisdiction, and Strategy
  • International Divorce and Separation
  • Spousal Support, Foreign Maintenance, and Compensatory Payments
  • Child Support Across Borders
  • International Child Custody, Travel, and Child Abduction Matters
  • Cross-Border Property Division and Asset Issues
  • Enforcement of Family Law Orders Across Borders
  • Prenuptial Agreements, Postnuptial Agreements, and Marriage Contracts
  • Settlement and Litigation in Cross-Border Family Law Disputes

Do You Need to Travel for an International Family Law Case?

Here’s How We Work With You

Tell us where you are, where your spouse is, where your children and assets are, and what you need.

Schedule a Private Case Evaluation

We begin by understanding the full picture. By starting with your goals, we shape a strategy that reflects your priorities.

After You Hire Us: Get a clear, custom legal strategy

We analyze the full picture of your parenting role, financials, lifestyle, and goals to create a cross-border plan that reflects your real life, not assumptions.

Pursue Settlement, Mediation, or Litigation With a Coordinated Strategy

From court filings to negotiated agreements, we help you pursue a result that protects you, your role, your resources, and your child’s sense of home.
Want to learn more about our process? Read our FAQ guide.

We Speak Your Language

International family matters often cross language lines.

Our attorneys primarily work in English, but we offer support in French, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Farsi, and Russian.

If you prefer to communicate in another language, contact us and we’ll confirm what’s available for your situation.

The Provinziano & Associates Difference

Why Clients Choose Our Los Angeles International Family Law Firm

From Business Holdings to Hidden Accounts—We Know Who to Call

We work closely with forensic accountants, business valuators, and tax specialists to ensure proper valuation and division of closely held businesses, real estate holdings, stock options, cryptocurrency, and international & offshore investments.

We Treat Your Personal Life With the Discretion It Deserves

For our clients, privacy is essential. While some court records are public by law, we take every possible measure to keep your case as private as the process allows. From how we communicate to how and where we file, to who sees what, we implement confidentiality strategies that ensure only the people who need to know do.

We Help You Anticipate

We help clients anticipate and prepare for each stage of the process. This may include requesting temporary or emergency orders for financial support, maintaining business operations, proposing custody arrangements that support demanding schedules, and building strategies tailored to the evolving needs of your case.

We Don’t Just Hear You, We Speak Your Language

At Provinziano & Associates, we believe no one and nothing should be lost in translation. While we primarily speak English, we also support clients in other languages and have many team members who speak a second language. If language is a concern, reach out to ask if we can support your native language.

First Class Litigation Backed by Experience

Some cases reach an agreement, others don’t. When your outcome depends on going to trial, our divorce and family law attorneys bring the kind of courtroom skill and strategic focus that comes from years of litigation experience, when negotiation alone isn’t enough.

When It’s All on the Line, This Is Who Leads the Room

With over 2,000 cases and 220+ trials, Alphonse F. Provinziano is one of California’s most experienced family law attorneys specializing in complex divorce, custody, support, and property matters.

Based in Beverly Hills and serving clients across Los Angeles, he brings extensive courtroom experience and strategic depth to every high-stakes family law case.

Respected by peers, sought after by clients, and featured in national media, Alphonse also teaches and presents to top family law attorneys across the U.S. and beyond.

Meet Alphonse Provinziano

Managing Partner & Senior Trial Attorney

Alphonse F. Provinziano, managing partner and senior trial attorney, with 2026 Elite Lawyer Family Law recognition badge

When It’s All on the Line, This Is Who Leads the Room

Alphonse F. Provinziano, managing partner and senior trial attorney, with 2026 Elite Lawyer Family Law recognition badge

Meet Alphonse Provinziano

Managing Partner & Senior Trial Attorney

With over 2,000 cases and 220+ trials, Alphonse F. Provinziano is one of California’s most experienced family law attorneys specializing in complex divorce, custody, support, and property matters.

Based in Beverly Hills and serving clients across Los Angeles, he brings extensive courtroom experience and strategic depth to every high-stakes family law case.

Respected by peers, sought after by clients, and featured in national media, Alphonse also teaches and presents to top family law attorneys across the U.S. and beyond.

Contact Our International Family Law Lawyers

If your family law matter involves California and another country, early legal advice can affect where the case is heard, and how your rights are protected across borders.

Our international family lawyers help clients seek new orders, challenge the other side’s requests, modify existing orders, and enforce family law orders across borders, whether the issue involves temporary relief, long-term arrangements, or emergency action.

Call our Beverly Hills office for experienced family law representation in California for complex family matters.

Your Next Move?

Most people wait too long to hire the right lawyer. You’re not most people.

FAQs: International Family Law

Can I file in California if I live abroad?
Yes, sometimes. You can file for divorce in California if you or your spouse has lived in California for the last 6 months and in the filing county for the last 3 months. If that timing is not met yet, you may still be able to file for legal separation because California does not impose the same 6-month and 3-month timing rule for legal separation, though one spouse still needs to live in California. Custody filing usually depends on the child’s location, especially the state or country where the child has lived for the last 6 months. That is why international cases should be reviewed issue by issue at the outset, not treated as a single filing question.
It can create a fight over which country’s courts should hear the case, but it does not automatically shut California out. California may still hear the divorce if its residency rules are met. California may still decide custody if California is the child’s home state or another UCCJEA basis applies. California can also decide that another court is the better place to hear the custody dispute. So what usually happens next is that the courts sort out which place gets to decide divorce, which place gets to decide custody, and where support must be enforced or modified.
Generally, yes, but not automatically. California may recognize and enforce a foreign order or agreement if it is valid and consistent with California law, but additional steps are often required first. Depending on what it is, that may mean registration, court review, or both. If the order or agreement conflicts with California law or does not meet the required legal standard, enforcement can be denied.