*Legal Studies & Paralegal Studies | Program Guide: Family Law

"A Troubled Marriage is a provocative exploration of how the legal system’s response to domestic violence developed, why that response is flawed, and what we should do to change it. Goodmark argues for an anti-essentialist system, which would define abuse and allocate power in a manner attentive to the experiences, goals, needs and priorities of individual women." (2011)

This important book examines the pathbreaking legal process that has brought the pervasiveness and severity of domestic violence to public attention and has led the United States Congress, the Supreme Court, and the United Nations to address the problem." (2001)

"The debate over marriage equality for same-sex couples rages across the country. The root problem, asserts law professor and LGBT rights activist Nancy Polikoff, is that marriage is a bright dividing line between those relationships that legally matter and those that don't." (2008)

"Information, tips, checklists and worksheets for creating fair and lasting child-custody agreements." (2007)

"Whether you are thinking about adopting a child or using reproductive treatments to become pregnant, The Complete Adoption and Fertility Legal Guide explains your options, gives you the steps to take to protect your decision and hands you the power to make it happen." (2004)

"In Courting Change, Kimberly D. Richman zeros in on the nebulous realm of family law, one of the most indeterminate and discretionary areas of American law. She focuses on judicial decisions--both the outcomes and the rationales--and what they say about family, rights, sexual orientation, and who qualifies as a parent." (2008)

"Accessible to parents and teachers as well as clinicians and researchers, the volume examines the impact of marital breakup on children, adults, and society. Alison Clarke-Stewart and Cornelia Brentano synthesize the most up-to-date information on divorce from a variety of disciplinary perspectives with thoughtful analysis of psychological issues." (2006)

"Examines the impact of social science evidence on legal reasoning in domestic violence cases, analyzing the text and rhetoric from a body of appellate opinions in which expert witnesses provided social science-based testimony about domestic violence." (2009)

"Bringing together experts from a wide variety of legal disciplines to comment on the way in which different areas of law affect the functioning family today, this volume provides a modern critical approach to bear on the broad range of subjects that used to constitute 'family law'." (2007)

"Examining specific areas of family law from a feminist perspective, this book assesses the impact that feminism has had upon family law. It is deliberately broad in scope, as it takes the view that family law cannot be defined in a traditional way." (2006)

"Examining the substantial changes that have occurred in families, family research, and family law over the last twenty years, this volume describes a paradigm shift in the legal and social regulation of the family from an emphasis on partners' relationships with each other to an emphasis on parents' relationships to their children." (2000)

"Providing students with a useful introduction to challenging, complicated and fascinating issues in international family law, this book also examines ways in which culture shapes family law in different countries and gives readers an opportunity to re-examine their own legal systems." (2005)

This is the authoritative textbook on family mediation for practitioners and scholars in social work and law. Drawing on a wide cross-disciplinary theoretical literature and on the author's extensive and continuing practice experience, it encompasses developments in policy, research and practice in the UK and beyond." (2008)

"Updated and revised with seven new chapters, a new introduction, and a new resources section, this landmark book is invaluable for women facing a custody battle. It was the first to break the myth that mothers receive preferential treatment over fathers in custody disputes. Incorporates findings from years of research, hundreds of interviews, and international surveys about child-custody arrangements." (2011)

"This book helps readers understand the entire process; work with mediators or lawyers; avoid expensive and painful court battles; divide money and property fairly; establish child custody, visitation and child support; draft a marital settlement agreement and address post-divorce issues." (2008)

"Addressing key topics in child custody evaluation, this book provides essential knowledge for practitioners who want to meet the highest standards for both scientific validity and legal admissibility. Going beyond the basics, the book gives in-depth attention to controversial, frequently encountered issues, such as how to evaluate allegations of domestic violence, child sexual abuse, and child alienation. Also covered are the challenges of interviewing children effectively and working in the adversarial forensic context." (2007)

"Written by a sitting family court judge in layman's language, this book demystifies complex family law concepts and procedures, clearly explains how family court works, and gives parents essential alternatives to resolve their own custody battles and keep their kids out of the often damaging court system." (2009)

"In Unmarried Couples, Law, and Public Policy, Cynthia Grant Bowman explores legal recognition of opposite-sex cohabiting couples in the United States. Unmarried cohabitation has increased at a phenomenal rate in the U.S. over the last few decades, but the law has not responded to the legal issues raised by this new family form." (2009)

"This volume examines sentencing hearings in criminal court and the presentation of victim impact statements, as well as child protection cases in juvenile court and the recommendations of guardians ad litem (GALS)." (2011)