Book Description

Family Law, Sixth Edition is a modern and teachable casebook, offering comprehensive coverage and a mix of interdisciplinary materials. It compares innovative developments in some states with the reaffirmation of traditional principles in others, and does so in the context of a wider focus on family and the state, the role of mediating institutions, and the efficacy of law and particular methods of enforcing the law. The casebook deals with the complexity of family law both in the organization of the chapters—separate units on family contracts, jurisdiction, and practice, for example, can be shortened, skipped, or taught in almost any order—and the diversity of material within each chapter. Each unit combines primary cases with comprehensive notes, supplemented with academic and policy analyses that provide a foundation for evaluation. Detailed problems extend the coverage or apply the commentary to real world examples. Key Features: A streamlined and updated chapter on the legal significance of being married, including an updated section on reproductive rights to reflect the potential influence of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellersted Major revisions to the chapters on marriage and informal domestic partnerships to reflect the impact of Obergefell v. Hodges A complete update of the parentage cases to incorporate the latest developments on same-sex partners, three parent recognition, third party visitation, adoption, and assisted reproduction Revised sections on the role of settlement agreements and out-of-court processes in divorce and the dissolution of relationships Coverage of cross-disciplinary topics, including financial principles, genetics/statistics, clinical psychology, social history, policy discussions, counseling, negotiation, ADR, and ethics