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A new set of family procedure rules will apply in England and Wales from the 6 April 2011. In particular, the new set of family procedure rules effective from the 6 April 2011 will affect divorce and financial cases and extra care must always be taken where a family case has an international dimension to it. One of the significant changes to the rule is that there is a requirement for any Applicant to first see a mediator to determine whether or not mediation is in fact suitable for the case. The difficulty is that where a case, in particular, involves European Union countries (except Denmark) then this could allow the other party i.e. the Respondent to receive advance notice of what is happening. He or she may then tactically try and claim jurisdiction in the EU country which best suits his/her case. Contacting the other party could therefore be fatal. The reason for this is that the financial outcome in the different countries could be significantly different.