Oana Croitoriu Solicitor – International Family Law
Oana Croitoriu is an experienced international family law solicitor specialising in complex cross‑border children and financial matters. She advises clients across England and Wales and internationally, with particular expertise in cases involving Romania and Eastern Europe.
Oana’s practice covers a wide range of family law issues, including child abduction, relocation, adoption, injunctions, and international divorce and financial proceedings. She also advises Local Authorities and private clients on cross‑border matters, particularly those involving Romanian jurisdictions, where her language skills and cultural understanding provide a distinct advantage.
Professional Background
Oana completed her Law Degree (LLB) at the University of Derby, graduating in 2013. She went on to complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the University of Law in 2015, specialising in International Legal Practice. In the same year, she also obtained a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Law in Manchester, with a dissertation focusing on patents.
In December 2016, Oana joined one of the UK’s largest probate providers, where she gained valuable experience in non‑contentious probate and estate administration. She commenced her training contract in September 2017 and qualified as a Solicitor in October 2019.
Following qualification, Oana joined a Top 50 UK law firm, where she developed expertise in will drafting, trusts administration, tax planning, powers of attorney and probate matters.
Oana later chose to specialise in family law, joining a boutique firm in Cheshire. There, she gained significant experience advising and representing vulnerable clients, particularly victims of domestic abuse. She regularly handled injunction proceedings, including non‑molestation and occupation orders, and represented clients in court in urgent children matters, including prohibited steps orders and safeguarding cases.
In October 2021, Oana joined IMD Solicitors LLP as a Solicitor in the Family Department, where she focuses on international family law matters, including international divorce, finances, and children cases.
International Family Law Expertise
Oana has developed a strong reputation for handling complex multi‑jurisdictional cases. She works closely with foreign lawyers to deliver coordinated and effective legal strategies in cross‑border disputes.
Her areas of expertise include:
International child abduction (Hague Convention and non‑Hague cases)
Relocation applications (leave to remove and internal relocation)
Cross‑border adoption
Jurisdictional disputes and recognition/enforcement of foreign orders
International financial remedy cases involving overseas assets
Advisory work for Local Authorities, particularly in UK–Romania matters
Oana is particularly experienced in cases involving safeguarding concerns, including allegations of domestic abuse and risks to children abroad, where she combines sensitivity with strong legal advocacy.
Children Law and Safeguarding
Oana is recognised for her work in complex children cases, where she regularly advises on relocation, abduction, and cross‑border contact arrangements. She has acted in High Court proceedings and cases involving jurisdiction transfers and urgent protective applications. [Internatio…he Year OC | Word]
Her approach is always focused on the welfare of the child, while providing clear, practical, and strategic advice to parents during highly sensitive disputes.
Injunctions and Urgent Applications
Oana has substantial experience in urgent family law applications, including:
Non‑molestation orders
Occupation orders
Prohibited steps orders
She frequently assists clients in urgent situations involving domestic abuse or risk of harm, ensuring swift protection through the courts.
International Divorce and Financial Work
Oana also advises on divorce and associated financial proceedings, particularly where there are international or jurisdictional elements. She assists clients with all aspects of the divorce process, including jurisdiction disputes, financial settlements, and cases involving assets held overseas.
Her experience in multi‑jurisdictional matters allows her to provide strategic advice to clients navigating parallel proceedings or deciding the most appropriate forum for their divorce. Oana takes a pragmatic and solution‑focused approach, ensuring that outcomes are both practical and enforceable, especially where different legal systems are involved.
Romanian and International Client Focus
Fluent in Romanian, Oana regularly advises clients from the Romanian community in the UK and abroad. She is widely recognised for bridging the gap between UK and Romanian legal systems and making legal advice accessible to clients facing language or cultural barriers.
She also supports Local Authorities dealing with Romanian elements in care proceedings and cross‑border cases, including recognition and enforcement of orders.
Approach and Client Care
Oana is known for her clear, pragmatic advice and empathetic approach. She is committed to guiding clients through complex and often emotionally challenging situations with sensitivity, clarity, and confidence.
Her modern, collaborative approach—working closely with international lawyers and professionals—ensures that clients receive comprehensive support in even the most complex cross‑border cases.
Why Clients Choose Oana
Expertise in international family law and cross‑border disputes
Strong focus on Romanian and Eastern European cases
Proven experience in child abduction, relocation, and adoption
Skilled in injunctions and urgent safeguarding applications
Experience advising Local Authorities on international matters
Clear, practical advice delivered with empathy and strategic insight
Outside of Work
Outside of her legal practice, Oana enjoys maintaining an active and balanced lifestyle. She has a keen interest in sports and values the discipline and focus they bring, which mirrors her professional approach. She also has a strong appreciation for music, often using it as a way to unwind and recharge.
Above all, Oana values spending quality time with friends and family, whether that means travelling, exploring new experiences, or simply enjoying good company. This balance enables her to approach her work with energy, perspective, and a strong sense of connection to the people she supports.
We have acted for the Respondent Husband in relation to the financial remedy proceedings in the UK. The parties had various assets in the UK and Romania consisting mainly of the portfolio of properties but conduct issues were raised by the Wife due to a business of the Husband over which he had lost control and her allegations of dissipation of assets. The value of assets excluding the business were in a region of £3 million.
L v L – International removal of child – application for discharge of summary return orders
We were instructed on a complex international children matter by a Mother required by the orders of the UK courts to return the child to the UK. The Mother travelled with the child to Poland and following unsuccessful application to extend her stay there in August 2017, she decided not to return as the child disclosed sexual abuse by grandfather and the Father. In September 2018, the Polish court dismissed the father’s Hague Convention application for the child’s return on the basis of Article 13(b), a decision which the father appealed. In March 2019, the father applied to the UK High Court for a return order pursuant to the procedure set out in Article 11(6) – (8) of the Brussels IIA Regulation. Regardless of the Father’s unsuccessful Hague convention application the UK court ordered return of the child. Article 11 does not allow the court of the returning country much discretion. The Mother instructed IMD Solicitors to apply to discharge the orders for the return. We have managed to succeed with the application. It is believed there were not many applications that were successful in the UK under Article 11 and potentially no applications to discharge such orders were made as a consequence. The High Court ultimately approved IMD Solicitors’ application for transfer of jurisdiction to the Polish courts in April 2023.
M v M – Children matter
We were instructed by a Romanian mother living in the UK with her daughter. The father, residing in Romania, has been spending sporadic time with the child, turning up unannounced to take the child and even removing the child from school. In addition to the unreasonable contact schedule imposed by the father and him leaving the child alone with strangers while she was in his care, the mother grew significantly concerned when the father began making threats of not allowing the child to return to her mother from Romania and telling the child that she would soon move to Romanian and attend school there. Further, the child began exhibiting sexual behaviour in front of the mother and the maternal grandparents which became an alarming issue for the mother. The child would explain this inappropriate behaviour by stating that she had witnessed her father and his current wife engaging in adult behaviour. In addition, the child is currently ongoing therapy following emotional and psychological abuse from the father who would consistently criticise the child’s weight and eating habits. We assisted the mother in filing an application with the UK family court seeking a live with order, set contact arrangements, as well as a Prohibited Steps Order to prevent the father from failing to return their daughter to her care. The mother is supporting her application through a decision of the Romanian courts establishing the child’s residency with the mother. The matter took an unexpected turn at the FHDRA when the father informed the court that he will make an application for relocation of the child to Romania, alleging that this would be in line with the child’s wishes and feelings. The matter is ongoing pending a CAFCASS Section 7 report exploring the child’s wishes and feelings.
G v P – International removal of child
We represented a Spanish Mother in respect of an urgent application for a Child Arrangements Order and Specific Issue Order filed with the UK court to ask for the relocation of the child to Spain after the return of the child to the UK after she had lost proceedings under Hague convention in Spain.rnThe mother was seeking an order for the relocation of the child back to Spain and an urgent interim Child Arrangements Order to provide for contact with the child pending the final order. We have successfully argued that regardless of the return of the child to the UK under the Hague Convention, the mother should be allowed unsupervised overnight contact with the child. We successfully obtained a final order for the child to be relocated to Spain and live with the mother.
D v S – International child relocation
We were instructed to represent a Polish father in relocation proceedings following private children proceedings a couple of years prior. The father represented himself in previous proceedings which concluded with a final live with order in his favour, following unsafe behaviour from the mother towards their young child and significant safeguarding concerns from the relevant authorities as to the child spending time with the mother. Sadly, though granted permission by the UK court to have regular contact with the child, the mother showed no interest in doing so and it became apparent that she was engaging in substance abuse which was detrimental to her relationship with the child. The father reached the decision that relocating to his home country with the child would be in the child’s best interest however, he could not have done so without the mother’s approval. As the mother opposed the application, IMD Solicitors successfully argued that the relocation to Poland was in the best interest of the child, despite living in a different country to the mother. We successfully obtained the UK court’s permission for the father to return home with his daughter and they have been happily living in Poland since February 2023.
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