The practice of family law examines state regulation of sexual and marital relationships, including the delicate balance of family privacy against state intervention in the marital relationship. Litigating around the institution of marriage and family that is most personal to individuals, family law brings to light a number of issues that affect peoples' lives at a very deep level. Further, family law also covers principles governing child custody and visitation, child support, and the regulation of non-traditional relationships as they pose a variety of questions about what a "family" is under the law.

Covering these intriguing and recently developing issues, this program provides an overview of family law.  Learners will explore fundamental topics including marriage, divorce, annulment, property division, parenthood, adoption, custody, support, and family violence as well as emerging areas such as legal recognition of non-marital families and assisted reproductive technology.  Participants will study all of these points with special attention to the legal principles, ethical issues, research, interviewing, discovery, drafting, and other essential practice skills that make up the work product surrounding this field.

For individuals looking toward law school or who are interested in the paralegal profession, this program offers an incredibly useful and realistic look into the actual work that lawyers and legal professionals do every day. Examining the initial organization, operation and potential dissolution of a family unit, the Family Law program addresses premarital controversies, capacity to marry and the formalities of marriage in light of the rights and duties of marital partners, various grounds for divorce, annulment and separation, spousal support and basic issues of property distribution.

Program Objectives

After completing this program, learners will be able to:

• Learn the basics of family law and practice
• Understand the ethics in a family law practice
• Determine how to compile a family history
• Appraise premarital, postnuptial, and cohabitation agreements
• Analyze a marriage and annulment
• Discuss divorce grounds and procedures
• Determine spousal support, property division, and the separation agreement
• Understand child custody and child support
• Appraise the tax consequences of separation and divorce
• Discuss legal rights of women
• Analyze illegitimacy and paternity
• Understand the legal status of children
• Discuss adoption
• Examine the new science of motherhood
• Analyze torts and family law

Detailed Program Objectives

• Introduction to Family Law and Practice
  • Family Law in the Twenty-First Century
  • Family Law Cases Are Unique
  • The New Terminology of Family Law
  • Scope of Family Law
  • Overview of Major Constitutional Principles
  • Family Law in the Age of Electronic Exhibitionism
  • Paralegals in Family-Law Cases
  • Freelancers, Government Paralegals, and Casas
  • Assessing Your Own Biases
  • Violence in a Family Law Practice
• Premarital, Postnuptial, and Cohabitation Agreements
  • Kinds of Agreements
  • Premarital Agreements
  • Example of A Premarital Agreement
  • Postnuptial Agreements
  • Cohabitation Agreements
  • Example of a Cohabitation Agreement
• Marriage
  • Legal Issues Prior to Marriage
  • Introduction to Marriage
  • Ceremonial Marriage
  • Same-Sex Marriage
  • Covenant Marriage
  • Common-Law Marriage
  • Putative Marriage
  • Marriage by Estoppel
  • De Facto Marriage
  • The Struggle to Find a Remedy
• Spousal Support, Property Division, and the Separation Agreement
  • Separation Agreements and Litigation
  • Effective Separation Agreements
  • Checklists for the Preparation of a Separation Agreement
  • Preliminary Considerations
  • Alimony Payments and Property Division: A Summary of Consequences
  • Distinguishing between Alimony and Property Division
  • Alimony
  • Necessaries and Spousal Refusal
  • Property Division
• The Legal Status of Children
  • Age of Majority and Emancipation
  • Contracts and Minors
  • Property and Earnings
  • Domicile
  • Estates
  • Education and Discipline
  • Child Abuse and Neglect
  • Delinquency
• Torts and Family Law
  • Intrafamily Torts and Immunity
  • Sexual Torts
  • Tort Claims Brought within a Divorce Action
  • Prenatal Torts
  • Wrongful Life and Wrongful Birth
  • Wrongful Pregnancy
  • Wrongful Adoption
  • Consortium, Services, and Earnings
  • Heart-Balm Actions
  • Vicarious and Independent Liability
  • Intrafamily Crimes

Certification Opportunities

After completing this program, learners will have the opportunity to take the leading national/industry-recognized certification exam(s) essential to entry-level employment in this fast-growing field.

National Workforce Career Association (NWCA) Family Law (L-FAM)

Optional Volunteer Externship Opportunity

Learners who complete this program are eligible to participate in an optional volunteer externship opportunity with a local company/agency/organization whose work aligns with this area of study in order to gain valuable hands-on experience.  As learners progress through their eLearning program, an Externship Coordinator will reach out to coordinate placement.

Note: Additional documentation including health records, immunizations, drug-screening, criminal background checks, etc. may be required by the externship facility.