Family Law Commons^™

Parentage At Birth: Birthfathers And Social Fatherhood, Nancy E. Dowd

Nancy Dowd

Deciding who should be a child's legal parents at birth seems a simple task. Instinctively, the answer is the child's biological mother and father. Historically, the answer would have been different depending on whether the child was born within a marriage or not; marriage trumped biology, at least with respect to fathers. A husband was generally presumed to be the father of a child born to his wife, even if there was no genetic connection. A number of changes have moved parentage away from the marital/genetic/patriarchal model that valued the marital family above genes or social fatherhood. Modern principles of …

Famigration (Fam Imm): The Next Frontier In Immigration Law, Kari E. Hong

Kari E. Hong

The recently published article, Immigration’s Family Values by Professor Kerry Abrams and R. Kent Piacenti, and the forthcoming Removing Citizens: Parenthood, Citizenship, and Immigration Courts by Kari Hong examine how, when, and why immigration law uses a different definition of family than the one used in state courts. Despite their differences, in conversation, these two pieces highlight how the Department of Homeland Security likely is either following misguided policies or pursuing improper objectives when creating a federal family law. Crimmigration (Crim Imm) scholarship successfully identified the ways in which the (purported) civil proceedings of immigration law needed the extra constitutional …

The Case For Relocation – Relocation Vs Continuity: Bnt V Bns [2014] Sghc 87, Jonathan Chen Yeen Muk

Jonathan Muk

BNT v BNS (“BNT”) is significant for the fact that it is one out of two major Singapore decisions dealing with a foreigner parent seeking permanent relocation of the children overseas. In coming to her decision, Judith Prakash J overruled the trial judge’s decision and denied the mother permission to bring the children back to their home country, Canada. An analysis of the case is worthwhile, considering that in the earlier decision of AZB v AYZ [2012] 3 SLR 627, Andrew Ang J had granted the mother permission to relocate the children from Singapore to the United States of America. …

Bargaining In The Shadow Of The Best-Interests Standard: The Close Connection Between Substance And Process In Resolving Divorce-Related Parenting Disputes, Jana B. Singer

Jana B. Singer

This essay, written for a Symposium celebrating the child custody scholarship of Professor Robert Mnookin, examines the close connection between changes in substantive child custody doctrine and changes in custody dispute resolution processes over the past 30 years. Part I of the article explores how the widespread adoption of an unmediated “best interest of the child” standard, and the ensuing rejection of the sole custody paradigm, precipitated a shift from adversarial to non-adversarial resolution of divorce-related parenting disputes. Part II of the essay reverses the direction of the analytic lens and considers how the shift from adversarial to non-adversarial dispute …

From Sex For Please To Sex For Parenthood: How The Law Manufactures Mothers, Beth A. Burkstrand-Reid

Beth A. Burkstrand-Reid

As soon as sperm enter a woman, so do law and politics, or so the decades-long disputes surrounding abortion suggest. Now, however, renewed debates surrounding contraceptives show legal and political interference with women’s sexual and reproductive autonomy may actually precede the sperm. This Article argues that, increasingly, women even thinking about having sex are defined socially and legally as “mothers.” Via this broad definition of who is a “mother," the State extends its reach into women’s decision-making throughout their reproductive lifetime. This Article argues that the State simultaneously devalues women’s choices to have sex for pleasure, which this Article calls …

Dirty Harry Meets Dirty Diapers: Masculinities, At-Home Fathers & Making The Law Work For Families, Beth A. Burkstrand-Reid

Beth A. Burkstrand-Reid

Who is the “man”? Implicit in that question is whether the man at issue demonstrates traits traditionally associated with masculinity: traits such as power, rejecting all things associated with being female, aggression, and being the family breadwinner. If a man, then, abandons paid work and stays at home full-time with his children, is he still a “man” as typically defined? The answer to this question bears both on whether families are truly evolving away from the gendered construct that places men as family breadwinners and women as caregivers and whether work-family balance law meets the needs of these—and all—families. This …

Handbook Of The Law Of Persons And Domestic Relations. By Joseph W. Madden, Robert C. Brown

Dr Robert Brown

No abstract provided.

Babies, Parents, And Grandparents: A Story In Two Cases, Karen Czapanskiy

Karen Czapanskiy

No abstract provided.

Disabled Kids And Their Moms: Caregivers And Horizontal Equity, Karen S. Czapanskiy

Karen Czapanskiy

No abstract provided.

The Metamorphosis Of Marriage And Adoption, Sanford N. Katz, Daniel R. Katz

Sanford N. Katz

No abstract provided.

Equitable Distribution: Virginia Code Section 20-107, Ingrid Michelsen Hillinger, Sharon A. Henderson, David A. Glazer

Ingrid Michelsen Hillinger

In Virginia traditional alimony was the only form of recompense allowed to a divorced spouse until 1977. Property was divided according to title, either his, hers or theirs. In 1977, the legislature added the possibility of a "lump sum payment" based upon the "property interests of the parties" after considering "the contributions, monetary and non-monetary, of each party to the well-being of the family," among other factors. This language gave little guidance as to when such an award might be appropriate or what specific factors were to be considered. A survey conducted by Ingrid Hillinger for the Family Law Section …

Dirty Harry Meets Dirty Diapers: Masculinities, At-Home Fathers, And Making The Law Work For Families, Beth A. Burkstrand-Reid

Beth A. Burkstrand-Reid

Who is the “man”? Implicit in this question is whether the man at issue demonstrates traits traditionally associated with masculinity: traits such as power, rejecting all things associated with being female, aggression, and being the family breadwinner. If a man, then, abandons paid work and stays at home full time with his children, is he still a “man” as typically defined? The answer to this question bears both on whether families are truly evolving away from the traditional, gendered construct that places men as family breadwinners and women as caregivers and whether work-family balance law meets the needs of these—and …

Resolving Family Conflicts, Jana Singer, Jane Murphy

Jana B. Singer

Over the past two decades, virtually all areas of family law have undergone major doctrinal and theoretical changes - from the definition of marriage, to the financial and parenting consequences of divorce, to the legal construction of parenthood. An equally important set of changes has transformed the resolution of family disputes. This 'paradigm shift' in family conflict resolution has reshaped the practice of family law and has fundamentally altered the way in which disputing families interact with the legal system. Moreover, the changes have important implications for the way that family law is understood and taught. This volume examines the …

Family Law: Cases, Text, Problems, 5th Edition, Ira Ellman, Paul Kurtz, Lois Weithorn, Brian Bix, Karen Czapanskiy, Maxine Eichner

Karen Czapanskiy

Family law is an interdisciplinary area, and the materials in this work reflect the numerous disciplines influencing this field of law. This book is policy-oriented, with non-legal social science featured in the extensive note materials to provide a rich and varied learning experience and a practice resource tool. Notes do more than call attention to difficult questions of legal doctrine and policy; they illuminate them.

The authors use a problem approach throughout, in addition to comprehensive case law sources. Problems provide an ideal mechanism for students to acquire the ability to apply legal rules to concrete fact patterns.

Emerging Models For Alternatives To Marriage, Sanford N. Katz

Sanford N. Katz

Perhaps one of the most important changes in family law in the past thirty years has been the inclusion of certain kinds of friendships in the range of relationships from which rights and responsibilities can flow. Domestic partnership laws, a phenomenon of the 1990s, may be seen as a natural development from the judicial recognition of contract cohabitation and the legislative and judicial response to same-sex couples who, unable to meet statutory requirements for marriage, have sought official recognition of their relationships. This essay discusses an aspect of certain kinds of domestic partnership laws-their formal requirements and the extent to …

Preserving The Family Through Change For The Sake Of Future Generations, Sanford N. Katz

Sanford N. Katz

Within the last fifty years, a transformation has taken place in American law. Before then, family relationships, like parent-child relationship, were clearly defined by biology or adoption. Marriage was defined by gender. Marriage certificates and birth certificates evidenced one's legal status. The transformation that has occurred was the legal recognition that took reality into account that relationships can develop without formalities. No longer can it be said that either one is in a certain status or one is not. Marriage-like relationships have been recognized, like civil unions, as well as de facto parenthood. American law has now recognized that marriage …

Children And Family Law: A Practitioner's Resource Guide, Jennifer Stevenson Prilliman

Jennifer S. Prilliman

No abstract provided.

Chalimony: Seeking Equity Between Parents Of Children With Disabilities And Chronic Illnesses, Karen Czapanskiy

Karen Czapanskiy

Many thousands of children experience serious disabling conditions such as autism and debilitating chronic illnesses such as asthma. Caring for these children is often so demanding that caregiving parents cannot remain employed outside the home. Parental resources available to these children are also limited because an unusually high percentage of them live with only one parent. Nonetheless, surprisingly few cases involving families with a disabled or chronically ill child appear in the family law case law or scholarly literature. Even where child support and alimony are concerned, these families are seen only at the margins. In my recent article, I …

Family Solidarity Versus Social Solidarity In The United States, Sanford N. Katz

Sanford N. Katz

No abstract provided.

Dispute Resolution And The Post-Divorce Family: Implications Of A Paradigm Shift, Jana B. Singer

Jana B. Singer

Over the past two decades, there has been a paradigm shift in the way the legal system handles most family disputes – particularly disputes involving children. This paradigm shift has replaced the law-oriented and judge-focused model of adjudication with a more collaborative, interdisciplinary and forward-looking family dispute resolution regime. It has also transformed the practice of family law and fundamentally altered the way in which disputing families interact with the legal system. This essay examines the elements of this paradigm shift in family dispute resolution and explores the opportunities and challenges it offers for families, children and the legal system.

Alimony And Efficiency: The Gendered Costs And Benefits Of Economic Justification For Alimony, Jana B. Singer

Jana B. Singer

No abstract provided.

A Dissent On Joint Custody, Jana B. Singer, William L. Reynolds

William L. Reynolds

No abstract provided.

The Privatization Of Family Law, Jana Singer

Jana B. Singer

No abstract provided.

Divorce Reform And Gender Justice, Jana B. Singer

Jana B. Singer

The modern shift from fault-based to no-fault divorce has disappointed those who expected the no-fault system to eliminate economic inequality between divorced women and men. The fact that women and their dependent children invariably experience economic hardship after a divorce has caused Lenore Weitzman and other commentators to romanticize the "good old days" of fault-based divorce. Professor Singer attacks the logic of this nostalgia by demonstrating that women were 'not[' better off under the fault-based system. She then proposes an investment partnership model of post-divorce allocation which would insure a fair result for both spouses.

Adoption, Identity, And The Constitution: The Case For Opening Closed Records, Naomi R. Cahn, Jana B. Singer

Jana B. Singer

No abstract provided.

Divorce Obligations And Bankruptcy Discharge: Rethinking The Support/Property Distinction, Jana B. Singer

Jana B. Singer

The Bankruptcy Code currently divides divorce-related obligations into two categories: awards or agreements in the nature of support are non-dischargeable; obligations arising from property divisions can be discharged in the same manner as ordinary commercial debts. Because recent developments in family law have undermined the support/property distinction and because privately negotiated divorce agreements often fail to distinguish between payments intended to serve as support and those intended to distribute property, the Code's reliance on this classification often leads to confusion and hardship for divorce obligees. In addition, because of the rise of equitable distribution as the dominant method of allocating …

Family Law: Cases, Materials, And Problems, Peter Swisher, Anthony Miller, Jana Singer

Jana B. Singer

The Second edition of Family Law addresses contemporary family law issues and analyzes the public and private dichotomy in contemporary family law relationships.

Book Review Of The Place Of Families: Fostering Capacity, Equality, And Responsibility By Linda C. Mcclain, Karen Czapanskiy

Karen Czapanskiy

No abstract provided.

Domestic Violence And The Maryland Family Violence Option, Karen Czapanskiy

Karen Czapanskiy

No abstract provided.

Domestic Violence, The Family And The Lawyering Process: Lessons From Studies On Gender Bias In The Courts, Karen Czapanskiy

Karen Czapanskiy

No abstract provided.