Advanced Paralegal Course Family Law
45 hours
Description
The Family Law course uses articles, cases, and examples to describe a
paralegal's role in matters of family law. Paralegals will be able to assist
attorneys as they draft premarital and cohabitation agreements, help clients
start or end their marriages, set up a mutually agreeable child custody
arrangement, clarify paternity, adopt a child, litigate tort cases, and more.
This course includes up-to-date information on same-sex relationships, the
enforcement of child support orders, the legal status of frozen embryos, the
confidentiality of adoption records, and other family law issues currently in
the news.
Tuition includes textbook, Protrain's exclusive Study Guide and access to the
Online Student Center. 12 month access.
Outline
After completing this course, you will have a better understanding of:
Lesson 1: Beginnings
Textbook: Family Law, The Essentials, Second Edition, by William P.
Statsky, West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2004, ISBN: 1-4018-4827-3
A.
Chapter 1
Provides an introduction to family law; illustrates the struggle for equality
between the sexes; discusses the federalization of family law; explains the
contract dimension of family law; overviews science and law; covers the emerging
recognition of gay rights
B.
Chapter 2
Explains premarital agreements, including disclosure of assets, fairness and
unconsionability, public policy, and the need for independent counsel; shows how
to interview for and draft premarital agreements; introduces cohabitation
agreements, including express, implied, and quasi contracts; covers trust,
partnership, and joint venture; explains the putative spouse doctrine; shows how
to interview for and draft cohabitation agreements
C.
Chapter 3
Covers legal issues prior to marriage, such as a breach of the promise to
marriage, intentional infliction of emotional distress, gifts, and restraining
contracts; explains how a marriage is defined; contrasts ceremonial, covenant,
common law, and putative marriages; considers same-sex relationship issues,
especially in Hawaii and Vermont, as well as the case of Lawrence v. Texas
Examination
Lesson 2: Endings
Textbook: Family Law, The Essentials, Second Edition, by William P.
Statsky, West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2004, ISBN: 1-4018-4827-3
A.
Chapter 4
Explains annulment, divorce, and legal separation; distinguishes between void
and voidable; explains who can sue; clarifies the possible grounds for
annulment, especially those relating to the legal capacity to marry and intent
to marry; explains marriage-evasion statutes; discusses the consequences of
annulment, including alimony, child support, inheritance, tax return status, and
more
B.
Chapter 5
Covers divorce, beginning with no-fault and fault grounds for divorce; explains
judicial separation and separate maintenance; introduces the divorce procedure,
beginning with the concept of domicile and jurisdiction; discusses such
pre-trial matters as pleadings and discovery and moving through trial
procedures; describes alternative dispute resolution; covers the divorce
judgment and how it is enforced; ends with a discussion of civil unions
Examination
Lesson 3: Separations
Textbook: Family Law, The Essentials, Second Edition, by William P.
Statsky, West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2004, ISBN: 1-4018-4827-3
A.
Chapter 6
Begins with an overview of separation agreements and litigation, including
negotiation factors; explains public policy and collusion, capacity to contract,
duress and fraud, and consideration in the separation agreement; discusses
alimony payments and property division, including the effect of bankruptcy,
remarriage, and death; covers modification of the separation agreement as well
as arbitration and reconciliation
B.
Chapter 7
Explains how child custody is presented in the separation agreement; covers
contested custody, including court discretion, legal preferences, witnesses and
wishes of the child; explains visitation issues; discusses court cases involving
the biological parent vs. the psychological parent; shows what happens when
there are jurisdiction or kidnapping problems
Examination
Lesson 4: Obligations
Textbook: Family Law, The Essentials, Second Edition, by William P.
Statsky, West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2004, ISBN: 1-4018-4827-3
A.
Chapter 8
Begins by explaining the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act; discusses the
cost of college and the second family; covers the modification and enforcement
of support orders, including nonsupport prosecution, license or passport denial,
Federal Tax Refund Offset Program, and credit clouding
B.
Chapter 9
Covers the role of tax law in the bargaining process; explains about deductible
alimony and the recapture rule; looks at property division and transfers;
discusses innocent spouse relief and the marriage penalty
Examination
Lesson 5: Women and Children
Textbook: Family Law, The Essentials, Second Edition, by William P.
Statsky, West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2004, ISBN: 1-4018-4827-3
A.
Chapter 10
Explains how the legal rights of women have changed; looks at contracts and
conveyances; covers the death of a husband; discusses rights related to a
woman’s name and credit; explains a woman’s rights in the workplace; covers
sexuality and reproductive rights; provides sensitivity training related to the
battered wife and marital rape
B.
Chapter 11
Discusses illegitimacy as it relates to inheritance, testate distribution, and
other issues; looks at the matter of artificial insemination; explains
legitimation and paternity
C.
Chapter 12
Considers the legal status of children, including the age of majority and
emancipation; explains issues involving contracts; considers a minor’s property
and earnings; clarifies domicile issues; looks at estates and education rights;
ends with a frank discussion of neglect, abuse, and delinquency
Examination
Lesson 6: Adoption and Other Family Matters
Textbook: Family Law, The Essentials, Second Edition, by William P.
Statsky, West Legal Studies (Thomson Delmar Learning), 2004, ISBN: 1-4018-4827-3
A.
Chapter 13
Explains the various kinds of adoption, including who may adopt and who may be
adopted; covers the adoption procedure, from the petition to the placement;
clarifies the consequences of adoption; illustrates the need for
confidentiality; contrasts an equitable adoption with a wrongful one
B.
Chapter 14
Covers the new science of motherhood, including such hot topics as in vitro
fertilization, the status of frozen embryos, stem-cell research, and surrogacy
contracts
C.
Chapter 15
Discusses intrafamily torts; explains what is done in cases of wrongful life,
birth, pregnancy, or adoption; considers loss of consortium or services;
explains such other torts as alienation of affections, criminal conversation,
enticement of spouse or child, and seduction; ends by explaining the vicarious
liability of family members
Examination
Computer Requirements
Students will need to have access to an IBM compatible PC with the following
minimum requirements to complete BCI's Allied Health programs:
• Pentium 100 or higher processor
• Microsoft Windows® 98, Windows® 98 Second Edition, Windows®
Millennium Edition, Windows® NT 4 with Service Pack 6 or later or
Windows® 2000 Professional or later operating system
• 24MB RAM (Windows® 98/Windows® 98 Second Edition);
• 32MB RAM (Windows®/Me/Windows® NT 4.0);
• 64MB RAM (Windows® 2000 Professional)
• Plus an additional 8MB for each application running simultaneously
• 100MB available hard disk space minimum
• 2x CD-ROM drive or higher
• 16-Bit Sound card or higher
• Standard USB port
• Speakers connected to your sound card
• Microsoft® mouse or other compatible pointing device
• Printer
• Audio Cassette Player (Allied Health Courses)
Protrain
Online Student Center Technology Requirements
In addition to the above requirements, we recommend the following computer
equipment for use with our Online Student Center:
• Pentium-II Class or higher processor
• 56.6 Kbps Modem or faster
• 64 MB RAM or greater
• 50-100 MB free hard disk space
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0+, Netscape Navigator 6.0+ or equivalent, or
America Online 7.0+
• An active account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Course Materials
Textbook:
Family
Law, The Essentials, 2nd Edition, 2004,
by William P. Statsky. Paperback edition.