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What is Family Law?

This section of the Center webpage has been put together to help you decide whether you want a career in the family law area and to assist you in your job search if family law is your chosen career.

One of the first things for you to think about is the broad range of areas that are covered under the general term, "family law." Family law includes marriage, divorce, custody, visitation, family support (spousal support, child support, domestic partners), child abuse and neglect, delinquency, adoption, estate planning, elder law, new reproductive technologies and a number of other areas. There are rewarding jobs in private practice and with public and private agencies and law reform organizations. When you are deciding what courses to take and whether you want to practice in this exciting, changing and challenging area of law, keep in mind that you may need to draw on a broad range of experiences and courses when you are developing your specialty area.

Traditional family law practice, for example, requires a number of skills including counseling, negotiation, research and writing, and trial advocacy. Attorneys who specialize in family law need the ability to work well with people in very stressful situations. One family law attorney put together a mock help-wanted ad to illustrate the diversity of family practice:

Help Wanted: Family Lawyers
Help Wanted: Family Lawyers Must Be Able To: Prepare and read balance sheets, income & expense statements, and related financial reports; Understand general principals of accounting nalyze business appraisals Must Be Skilled In: Counseling Advocacy, trial practice, rules of evidence Planning and drafting Investigation and determination of significant facts Negotiation Must Be Proficient in the Following Areas of Law: Tax Law, especially general tax law, income tax law, estate & gift taxes Bankruptcy Code and Rules Debtor/Creditor Law Real Estate Law Law Relating to Small Businesses Law of Property Contract Law Equitable Remedies Statutory Construction Conflict of Laws Jurisdiction and Venue Statutes and Common Law Pleading and Practice Law Relating to Wills and Trusts Agency Law Constitutional Law (Due Process, Full Faith and Credit) Criminal Law Tort Law Insurance Law (Health, Life, COBRA, QUADRO) Must Be: Gentle and understanding, but able to hold oneself aloof from the client's emotional turmoil; Able to stay calm in the midst of catastrophic stress; Able to represent client's interest while continuing to consider the best interest of another interested party (the child). If you hold a license to practice law and can fill these requirements, you may undertake family law cases. [From Sara Valjcic, Family Law Careers (1998)]

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What is Family Law?

Help Wanted: Family Lawyers

Must Be Able To:

Must Be Skilled In:

Must Be Proficient in the Following Areas of Law:

Must Be: