Book Description

The Eighth Edition of Family Law for Paralegals continues to provide complete coverage of traditional family law topics with historical context and dynamic cutting-edge issues—such as non-marital families, child abuse and neglect, and same-sex marriage. J. Shoshanna Ehrlich’s balanced approach prepares students to handle the work of a paralegal through examples, assignments, and sample forms that mirror legal practice. New to the Eighth Edition: Meticulously updated with new cases and developments in the law throughout the book, including new material on: Marriage (Ch. 1) includes new sections on: The retroactive application of Obergefell v. Hodges to backdate marriages of same-sex couple to when they would have married had it been allowed The debate over whether merchants can refuse to provide wedding-related services and goods to same-sex couples based on religious objections Whether the marriage consent age should be raised to protect minors from being forced into marriage against their will. Domestic Violence (Ch. 3) now covers: The use of electronic monitoring in domestic violence cases The possibility of allowing minors who are being forced into marriage to obtain civil orders of protection. Employer-initiated restraining orders Children coverage expanded to include: In Chapter 5, new sections on the appointment of attorneys to represent children in contested custody disputes and considerations of parental disability in best interest determinations In Chapter 11, new section on same-sex couples and the establishment of legal parenthood In Chapter 12, consideration of the emergence of medical child abuse and forced marriage as new categories of harm; expanded definitions of abuse and neglect, including medical child abuse and forced child marriage; and new section on “legal orphans” and the reinstatement of parental rights. Economic Issues updated with: New section in Chapter 6 on the due process rights of low-income parents in civil contempt cases for non-payment of child support. Chapter 7 expanded to include the backlash against “permanent” spousal support awards and the tax treatment of spousal support payments. Coverage of virtual assets in Chapter 8 Professors and students will benefit from: Helpful real-life examples and sample forms Clear pedagogy—including summaries, key terms, and review and discussion questions—helps students better understand the material and develop their critical thinking and writing skills. Included cases edited for analysis at the end of each chapter. Classroom-tested, successful text that is authoritative and well-structured. A variety of assignments for practicing lawyering skills, such as research, analysis, memo writing, and argumentation Up-to-date coverage of all the key topics in family law.