Indiana Law's Family Law Program
The family is one of the most fundamental and important institutions in our society. Family law concerns the rights and responsibilities of individuals in the sphere of their home and intimate relationships.
The study of family law invites important policy debates (for example, abortion, gay marriage, home-schooling) and involves the study of important theoretical issues (rules versus discretion; state regulation versus private decision-making). It also requires attention to practical legal issues surrounding marriage, divorce, and child welfare that regularly touch the lives of average Americans.
Competency in the law of the family requires possessing the substantive knowledge and skill base to advise clients about sensitive personal issues. Preparing to be a good lawyer in this area requires the development of many important, transferable skills in drafting documents, fact investigation, interviewing, counseling, client communication, and advocacy.
Curriculum
After the required first year courses, students may select from a broad range of offerings in the field of family law, including several clinics and clinical opportunities.
Courses:
- Family Law (B608)
- Domestic Relations Mediation (B563)
- Estate Planning (B740)
- Feminist Jurispridence (B789
- Law and Education (B658)
- Poverty Law (B643)
Clinics
- Family and Children Mediation Clinic (B691)
- Community Legal Clinic (B688)
Student Activities and Opportunities
- Feminist Law Forum is a student organization dedicated to gender equality within law school and the legal profession.
- Older and Wiser Law Students (OWLS) offers support for non-traditional law students and their families.
- Women's Law Caucus is a student organization focusing on women's issues, community service and professional development.
- Annual Charity Auction: The Women's Law Caucus hosts an Annual Charity Auction. Proceeds benefit Bloomington's Middle Way House, a shelter for domestic violence victims, and Indiana Law's own Protective Order Project
Related Campus Programs
- Center for Human Growth, IU School of Education
- Human Development and Family Studies, IU School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Applied Health Science Department
- Institute for Family and Social Responsibility, a joint project of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the School of Social Work
- Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction
- Social Psychology, Health, and the Life Course Workshop, IU College of Arts and Sciences Department of Sociology
Recent Conferences and Enrichment
- For the Sake of the Children: Advances in Family Dispute Resolution, November 14-16, 2007
- Constituting Equality: Gender Equality in Comparative Constitutional Law, March 23-24, 2007
- Fuchs Lecture: "Representing Kids Who Kill," presented by Victor Streib, JD'70, Ellen and Ernest Fisher Professor of Law at Ohio Northern University's Pettit College of Law and an influential voice in the discussion over capital punishment for juveniles, January 30, 2006.