Family Law

Catalog description

This course will explore how the law regulates intimate relationships among adults and parent-child relationships. These laws, a mix of constitutional and statutory, state and federal, touch all of our lives, when we marry or divorce, or decide not marry an intimate partner, when we become parents, or decide not to become parents. Family Law provides the legal context, the background rules, pertaining to what are unquestionably the most important decisions in our lives-- the choice of a life partner, and whether to become a parent. In probing this body of law, we will also explore big questions about how the government should regulate people with respect to their intimate lives. Our first question: If marriage did not exist as a legal institution, would there be any good reason to create it as one? The class will be very interactive, with many actual and hypothetical problem scenarios providing a basis for discussion. Elements used in grading: Exam, with minor adjustments for class participation.