Family Law Commons^™

Modernizing Capacity Doctrine, Lisa V. Martin

Faculty Publications

Federal capacity doctrine—or the rules establishing whether and how children’s civil litigation proceeds—has largely remained the same for more than a century. It continues to presume that all children are incapable of directing their own cases, and that adults must litigate on children’s behalf. But since that time, our understanding of children, and of adolescents in particular, has significantly evolved. This Article contends that it is well beyond time to modernize the capacity doctrine to better account for the capabilities of adolescents and support their transition to adulthood.

Post-Grillo: New Family Mediation Protections And Revised Dangers, Kelly Browe Olson

Law Faculty Scholarship

Until Professor Trina Grillo’s article warned readers of its process dangers, the family mediation process was viewed as a positive antidote to extensive and costly litigation and as a valuable opportunity for families to work together informally to resolve their custody, support, and property issues. Grillo, an academic and a practicing mediator, asserted that family mediation was not living up to its potential, that mediators hurt women and minorities by mandating participation without lawyers, and that its use created a false sense of empowerment. She was concerned that some mediators were not neutral, failed to focus on clients’ individual needs, …

A Q&A With Homeschooling Reform Advocates Elizabeth Bartholet And James Dwyer, Elizabeth Bartholet, James Dwyer

Popular Media

Elizabeth Bartholet, Morris Wasserstein Public Interest Professor and Faculty Director of the Child Advocacy Program (CAP), and James Dwyer, the Arthur B. Hanson Professor of Law at William & Mary Law School, were interviewed by Harvard Law Today about their virtual conference titled, Homeschool Summit: Problems, Politics, and Prospects for Reform. The June event was attended by leaders in education and child welfare policy, legislators and legislative staff, academics and policy advocates, medical professionals, homeschooling alumni, and others, to discuss children’s rights in connection with homeschooling in the United States.

Mommy, Baby And Rapist Makes Three? Amid Abortion Bans, The Pressing Need For A Nationwide Lower Standard To Strip Parental Rights, Regardless Of A Rape Conviction, Melanie Dostis

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

Among the fundamental rights recognized in the Constitution are the rights of parents to raise their children. While never interpreted as an absolute legal privilege, courts have exercised wide discretion in preserving this right and historically ignored the reality that not all parents are deserving of this right. Even though the family law system has protections in place to terminate parental rights for atrocities like abuse, it largely neglects an uncomfortable area of parental origin: parental rights regarding children conceived by rape. This is not only to the detriment of children, but, as this Note argues, at the peril of …

Preventing Child Maltreatment Through Medical-Legal Partnership, Debra Chopp

Book Chapters

There has been significant attention in recent years to health care delivery models that address social determinants of health. One such model is medical-legal partnership (MLP). MLPs join health care providers with lawyers to address health-harming legal needs in the lives of vulnerable patients. Research on MLPs has demonstrated their success in reducing stress and increasing health and well-being in the patients they serve and in their families. This chapter explores the possibility of using MLP as a tool to prevent child maltreatment.

The Termination Of Parental Rights In Texas: The Long Run Cut Short For Parents In Bexar County, Gabriel A. Narvaez

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract forthcoming.

Inheritance Crimes, David Horton, Reid Kress Weisbord

Washington Law Review

The civil justice system has long struggled to resolve disputes over end-of-life transfers. The two most common grounds for challenging the validity of a gift, will, or trust— mental incapacity and undue influence—are vague, hinge on the state of mind of a dead person, and allow factfinders to substitute their own norms and preferences for the donor’s intent. In addition, the slayer doctrine—which prohibits killers from inheriting from their victims—has generated decades of constitutional challenges.

But recently, these controversial rules have migrated into an area where the stakes are significantly higher: the criminal justice system. For example, states have criminalized …

Comparing Family Property Disputes In English And Singapore Law: "Context" Is Everything, Man Yip

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This paper examines why Singapore law has not followed English law in the area of beneficial ownership of family property. It points out that the landmark cases in the two jurisdictions are underpinned by different family paradigms.The English landmark cases are based on the unmarried cohabitants paradigm and the legal rules that have emerged from these cases are aimed at, whether successfully or not, ensuring a fair division of the family home upon the breakdown of these relationships. In contrast, the Singapore seminal judgments are underlaid by contests between children over their parents’ property which raised questions as to the …

Homosexuality And Adoption Of Children: A Bibliometric Analysis, Karthiayani A. Ms., Manika Kamthan Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is based on the bibliometric analysis of research publications that focus on highlighting the impact of homosexuality on the process of adoption of children. The primary objective of this study is to analyze the frequency of publications focusing on the impact of parental sexual orientation on the process of adoption in different countries. The data required for this study was collected from the Scopus database and was analyzed using VOSviewer software. Literature published from 2000 to January 2021 were extracted and analyzed. A total of 284 documents which are classified into articles, letters, editorials, conference papers, and reviews …

Divorce Without Marriage: Taxing Property Transfers Between Cohabiting Adults, Keeva Terry

University of Cincinnati Law Review

No abstract provided.

Deinstitutionalization, Family Reunification, And The "Best Interests Of The Child": An Examination Of Armenia's Child Protection Obligations Under Conventional International Law, George S. Yacoubian Jr., Esq.

Pace International Law Review

For nearly a century, the global community has sought to afford children legal protections, abandoning widely held views that children were pecuniary assets. In the United States and globally, a nascent children’s rights movement culminated in broad child welfare reform. Whether adoption, armed conflict, child labor, education, human trafficking, or deinstitutionalization, the post-war 20th century witnessed an evolution of international child protections. The prevailing standard of “best interests of the child” (BIC) has been incorporated into domestic and international law doctrine and, not surprisingly, has been operationalized in a variety of ways. In recent years, the standard has been explored …

Exploring Tactile Art-Making With Deafblind Students And Their Families: An Opportunity For Creative Play, Alice Rodgers

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The impact of a deafblind diagnosis on an individual’s mental health and the well-being of the family involved can be profound. However, current research and available literature for the mental health treatment and therapy practices of deafblind persons and their families is limited (Kyzar et al., 2016; “WFDB Global Report 2018,” n.d.). This thesis used the Leeds Family Psychology and Therapy Service principles (Leeds FPTS) and the Expressive Therapies Continuum with established deafblind teaching strategies to facilitate an original arts-based community project entitled: “Things We Like.” This project provided an opportunity for deafblind students (ages three to 22) and their …

Children Have Rights, Too: How The Thirteenth Amendment Can Protect America's Abused Youth, Francesca Lauta

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Three million children are abused every year in the United States. Although there are some safeguards, such as foster care and state child abuse laws, the number of abused children has not dwindled. How should the federal government respond? This article argues that the Thirteenth Amendment can be interpreted to protect abused children. It is widely accepted that the Thirteenth Amendment’s sole purpose is to abolish Black slavery, therefore rendering it useless in the modern legal climate. Nothing in the wording or context of the Amendment, however, suggests that it is limited to Black slavery. Interpreting the Amendment to encompass …

Law School News: Professor Of The Year 2021: Brittany Raposa 05/20/2021, Michael M. Bowden

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Care In The Time Of Covid: Addressing The State Of Family And Medical Leave In Light Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emily Kowalik

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

In Deciding Fulton V. Philadelphia, The Supreme Court Should Remember That Foster Care Is For The Children, James Dwyer

Popular Media

No abstract provided.

Perceived Psychosocial Impacts Of Legalized Same-Sex Marriage: A Scoping Review Of Sexual Minority Adults’ Experiences, Laurie A. Drabble, Angie R. Wootton, Cindy B. Veldhuis, Ellen D.B. Riggle, Sharon S. Rostosky, Pamela J. Lannutti, Kimberly F. Balsam, Tonda L. Hughes

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

A growing body of literature provides important insights into the meaning and impact of the right to marry a same-sex partner among sexual minority people. We conducted a scoping review to 1) identify and describe the psychosocial impacts of equal marriage rights among sexual minority adults, and 2) explore sexual minority women (SMW) perceptions of equal marriage rights and whether psychosocial impacts differ by sex. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework we reviewed peer-reviewed English-language publications from 2000 through 2019. We searched six databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, JSTOR, and Sociological Abstracts) to identify English language, peer-reviewed journal articles …

A Chance To Save Lives: A Guide For How And Why The Us Should Mandate Vaccines For Children And Limit State Exemption Laws, Lauren Zidones

Akron Law Review

Vaccines have helped increase the life expectancy for humans in the 20th century and have reduced the number of deaths associated with infectious diseases. Despite efforts by the CDC, state and local governments, and other public health agencies, infectious diseases are still a major cause of illness, disability, and death. Steps must be taken to address the continued rise of vaccine-preventable diseases in America. Eliminating or limiting state exemptions for mandatory vaccinations for school-aged children is the simplest way to address this growing issue. However, a population of parents argue for absolute parental rights and stand against any vaccine exemption …

International Family Law, Robert G. Spector, Melissa A. Kucinski

The Year in Review

No abstract provided.

How To End The Cycle Of Domestic Violence: Policies Focused On Children, Ashley Phillips

Student Scholarship

There is an alarming amount of people who witness childhood domestic violence, and when children are exposed to domestic violence, they are subjected to a cycle of violence and trauma that exists in families for generations. However, society does not focus on trauma-exposed children to help break the cycle of domestic violence, even though child witnesses and victims become future abusers and prison inmates. This paper explains the cycle of domestic violence and its traumatic effects, examines the problems and limits of the law in respect to family intervention, and concludes with policy solutions focused on assisting children exposed to …

How To End The Cycle Of Domestic Violence: Policies Focused On Children, Ashley Phillips

Child and Family Law Journal

There is an alarming amount of people who witness childhood domestic violence, and when children are exposed to domestic violence, they are subjected to a cycle of violence and trauma that exists in families for generations.1 However, society does not focus on trauma-exposed children to help break the cycle of domestic violence, even though child witnesses and victims become future abusers and prison inmates. This paper explains the cycle of domestic violence and its traumatic effects, examines the problems and limits of the law in respect to family intervention, and concludes with policy solutions focused on assisting children exposed to …

Parental Leave In The United States: Why The United States Should Follow France In Implementing Mandatory Paid Paternal Leave, Emily Bergmann

Child and Family Law Journal

This article addresses an issue relevant to all working parents: paid parental leave. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world to not guarantee paid leave for parents. Substantial research and studies have documented numerous benefits correlated to paid parental leave including increased workforce participation, health benefits for both children and parents, reduced gender stereotypes, and more. Unfortunately, many fathers are stigmatized when they choose to take family leave; therefore, making leave mandatory is necessary to reduce this stigma. Current paternity leave policies in the United States will be analyzed under the FMLA, individual states, and private …

The Current State Of Students’ Fourth Amendment Rights: How Implicit Bias Goes Unchecked In A Subjective Framework, Christian Williams

Child and Family Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Appraising Problems, Not Stuff, Chad J. Pomeroy

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract forthcoming.

The True Detriment Of Sibling Separation Lies In The Law, Vincent Sorrentino

Child and Family Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Specialty Bar Associations And The Marketing Of Ethics: The Example Of The Academy Of Adoption Attorneys, Malinda L. Seymore

Faculty Scholarship

In a world of lawyer jokes, memes of sleazy lawyers and the ubiquity of bad lawyers in television shows and movies, lawyers have reason to push back against negative public perceptions of lawyers’ ethics. This article examines the role of specialty bar associations, by using the example of the Academy of Adoption Attorneys, in marketing ethics to the public.

Specialty bar associations have been seen as sites of lawyer socialization and professionalism. Though there are thousands of specialty bar associations with aspirational ethical codes, the Academy of Adoption Attorneys is unusual among such associations in having a mandatory ethics code, …

Gestational Surrogacy Contract Terms Under The 2017 Uniform Parentage Act, Jhonell Campbell

Child and Family Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Chimerism And Mosaicism: The Fallibility Of Dna Evidence, Robert Ellis-Liang

Child and Family Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Comment: Doe V. Woodard And Its Impact On The Circuit Split Surrounding Social Workers’ Inspections Of Suspected Victims Of Child Abuse, Mary Kate Workman

Child and Family Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Child Entertainers And Their Limited Protections: A Call For An Interstate Compact, Tabetha Bennett

Child and Family Law Journal

No abstract provided.