Family law

This article is about the legal concept. For the television drama, see Family Law (TV series).

Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including, but not limited to:

• the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;
• issues arising during marriage, including spousal abuse, legitimacy, adoption, surrogacy, child abuse, and child abduction
• the termination of the relationship and ancillary matters including divorce, annulment, property settlements, alimony, and parental responsibility orders (in the United States, child custody and visitation, child support awards).

This list is by no means dispositive of the potential issues that come through the family court system. In many jurisdictions in the United States, the family courts see the most crowded dockets. Litigants representative of all social and economic classes are parties within the system. Because the family courts are notoriously underfunded and see a relatively large proportion of economically dependent litigants, a common criticism levied is that the system inherently prejudices the needs of these disadvantaged parties.

For the Conflict of Laws elements dealing with transnational and interstate issues, see marriage (conflict), divorce (conflict) and nullity (conflict).

Further reading

• Testimony of Barbara DaFoe Whitehead, Ph.D, Co-Director, National Marriage Project Rutgers University, before US Senate Subcommitee

See also

• Fathers' rights
  • Marriage strike
• Same-Sex Marriage

Different jurisdictions

• Algerian Family Code
• Family Court of Australia
  • Australian family law
• Mudawana (The Moroccan Family Code).
• Family law system in England and Wales
  • The Children Act 1989
  • Sir Morris Finer - Report on One Parent Families
• Civil Code of the Philippines

External links

• Free Legal Advice/Legal Discussion Board

International

• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
• International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers

USA

• American Bar Association - Family Law Section
• American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
• Representing Children Worldwide: How Children are Represented in Protective Proceedings (Yale Law Resource)
• LII resources on Family Law

Australia

• Family Court of Australia Web Site
• The Family Law Act 1975
• Child Support (Assessment) Act, 1989
• Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988

England

• The Children Act 1989
• Family Proceedings Rules
• Judicial Studies Board Family Bench Book
• Manches

Scotland

• Children (Scotland) Act 1995
• Scottish Executive announcement, Wed 9 February 2005.

Japan

• Tokyo High Court Sweden v. Yamaguchi, or In the Matter of Mary Ann Vaughn 1956