This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of the nature and scope of family law, covering the meaning of ‘family’ and the functions of family law. It then describes trends in family law; the family justice system; and the internationalisation of family law.
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Chapter
1. Introduction
N V Lowe, G Douglas, E Hitchings, and R Taylor
Chapter
5. Financial Provision for Children
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter—which discusses financial provision for children who live apart from one or both parents, whether in a single-parent family, step-family, or with other carers—begins with a brief history of financial provision for children. It then discusses the current law on child support; court-based provision; ‘family-based arrangements’ and other private ordering; and policy questions relating to the financial support of children.
Chapter
1. Family Life and the Law
Ruth Lamont
This chapter explores the nature of family life and the role of the law in family relationships to identify the particular challenges facing family lawyers. In particular, it considers how the law interacts with family life, how family relationships are identified in law, and what role the law plays in regulating family behaviour. The diversity and personalised experience of ‘family’ means that the role of the law in these processes is complex. There are two central issues facing family lawyers. First, the identification of a relationship as being one of ‘family’ for the purposes of the law is an important label, and may give rise to specific rights and obligations, even if the particular relationship bears no significance for the individual. Secondly, identifying the nature of the rights and obligations arising from a family relationship is central to determining the significance of the relationship.
Chapter
15. Family homes: Postscript
In this chapter, there is a recognition that the intervention of equity in the family home represents a pragmatic response to a real problem, but it is not a perfect solution. It considers some of a number of grounds of critique of the current approach, including attempts at legislative reform to provide a solution. It can be criticized on a number of grounds, quite apart from the issue as to whether it constitutes a usurpation of a legislative function. There is also a consideration of whether the approach we have now has moved away from traditional assertion of property principles to a sense of redistributive justice more familiar to family lawyers.
Chapter
National Provincial Bank v Ainsworth [1965] AC 1175, House of Lords
Essential Cases: Land Law provides a bridge between course textbooks and key case judgments. This case document summarizes the facts and decision in National Provincial Bank v Ainsworth [1965] AC 1175, House of Lords. The document also includes supporting commentary from author Aruna Nair.
Chapter
9. Children’s Rights and Welfare
This chapter moves on from the previous chapter to ask: Do adults always know best? That is an important assumption that needs to be addressed in this area of family law. To what extent, and under what circumstances, do the opinions of children count? This chapter considers the legal principle upon which most cases relating to children are decided. That is, the welfare principle. The chapter considers whether this principle is compatible with an approach that respects children's rights. The chapter begins by defining what is meant by the welfare principle and considers in what cases the welfare principle applies and, conversely, in what cases the welfare principle does not apply. The spectrum of issues here might seem quite narrow but in fact they are much broader than might be first imagined. There are multiple considerations, theories, and contradictions at play.
Chapter
15. Applying ethical theories
This chapter explores the application of the principles discussed in the preceding chapters to specific cases. It imagines how four lawyers might respond to three different scenarios. The first is taken from criminal law. The other two are taken from commercial law and family law. The four lawyers represent different schools of thought on lawyers’ ethics. This gives readers the chance to think through how taking a different general ethical approach might impact on their response to a particular scenario. It also might help readers more clearly identify which broad ethical theory they support. It shows how ethical disputes can have considerable practical significance.
Chapter
13. International Family Law
Ruth Lamont
This chapter examines the legal framework governing family law with an international dimension. Given the migration of people and families between countries and legal systems, the management of family law disputes between these systems is an important issue. The chapter examines the sources of international family law, and how we connect people to particular legal systems to govern their dispute. It then considers the law in England and Wales on the recognition of marriage, jurisdiction over divorce, and disputes over children including international child abduction.
Chapter
6. Divorce and Dissolution
N V Lowe, G Douglas, E Hitchings, and R Taylor
This chapter first provides an overview of the historical development of the divorce law in England and Wales and an outline of the law as it was before the new reforms contained within the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 came into effect. It then discusses the path to reform, before ending the chapter with a consideration of the new divorce law and dissolution of civil partnership and judicial separation.
Chapter
17. Civil Litigation
This chapter considers the conduct of civil litigation. It discusses how civil litigation is more managed than criminal litigation and the courts seek to assist litigants in finding a compromise. The civil courts have extensive powers over costs and they use this to ensure compliance with their rulings and also to encourage early settlement, reducing the need for litigation. The chapter examines three types of civil litigation; cases relating to the small-claims track (‘small claims court’), judicial review, and private family-law disputes.
Chapter
5. The Roman Family
This chapter is devoted to the Roman law of persons and family. As in modern legal studies, so in Roman law, it is the first branch of private law that students are taught, primarily in order to understand the concept of ‘legal personhood’. This chapter covers the paterfamilias (head of the household); marriage and divorce; adoption; and guardianship. The head of the household was the eldest living male ancestor of a specific family. He had in his power (potestas) all descendants traced through the male line (and also exercised forms of control over other members of the household). Roman law accorded the head of the household extensive legal entitlements, not only vis-à-vis the members of the household, but also its property. The motivation of this state of affairs lies in the recognition in Roman law of the family unit as legally significant entity.
Chapter
A child’s parents: parentage, parenthood, and parental responsibility
This chapter examines the law on legal parenthood (including establishing paternity) and the allocation, acquisition, nature and scope of parental responsibility. The law has had to address a number of questions in light of medical advances and social change. Who is a child’s mother when a woman gives birth to a child conceived as a result of egg donation by another woman? How is the law on surrogacy to be regulated? Can a female-to-male transsexual person become a child’s father via assisted conception (or indeed a mother if he gives birth)? Is a mother’s same-sex partner to be recognised as her child’s parent too? If so, in what sense? As this last question suggests, the law’s response is also complicated by the fact that the notion of ‘being a parent’ has several different facets.
Chapter
8. Children’s rights
This chapter introduces some theoretical discussions concerning children’s rights and examines some ‘core’ legal provisions. It also looks at the case law related to which the issue of the legal protection of children’s interests has been explored. The focus is on the child’s right to make his or her own decisions as a possible limitation on parental responsibility, explored principally in the context of children’s medical treatment.
Chapter
11. Adoption and special guardianship
This chapter examines the legal mechanisms by which children can be provided with long-term alternative secure family placements: the law on adoption and special guardianship. Topics discussed include: decision-making in relation to adoption; adoption agencies’ role in assessing suitable adoptions; rules relating to parental consent in adoption cases; placement for adoption; applications to adopt; post adoption contact; revocation of adoption; and special guardianship orders.
Chapter
2. The dissolution of adult relationships
This chapter addresses the termination of adult relationships, in particular divorce, but also the dissolution of civil partnerships, and the termination of cohabitation. Beginning with a discussion of the history of law on divorce and recent divorce statistics, it goes on to cover the law of divorce under the Matrimonial Causes Act (MCA) 1973, criticisms of the current law and recent reform initiatives. It then considers other decrees under MCA 1973, dissolution of a civil partnership, and termination of unmarried relationships.
Chapter
3. Protection from domestic abuse and occupation of the family home
This chapter considers the civil law remedies which are designed to protect a victim from domestic abuse. The two primary protective orders under Part IV of the Family Law Act (FLA) 1996 are the non-molestation order and the occupation order which can be applied for and obtained in conjunction with each other, or separately. The chapter discusses the fact that the occupation order can also be used to regulate occupation of the family home in non-violent situations when a dispute arises between family members about who is entitled to occupy the home, and on what basis.
Chapter
7. Property and Finances When Non-Formalized Relationships End
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter focuses on the resolution of property and financial disputes that may arise between family members who are not spouses or civil partners and so who cannot use the statutory remedies discussed in chapter 6. Instead, parties rely largely on the general law of property, trusts, and contract to provide solutions. This chapter examines those areas of law, and the few statutory provisions that apply between these parties, before considering the prospects for reform.
Chapter
10. Parental Responsibility
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter examines the concept of parental responsibility and its legal significance; the various legislative provisions dealing with who automatically holds parental responsibility, as well as how, and by whom, it may be acquired; the exercise of parental responsibility and the various restrictions that may be imposed on the decision-making authority of those who hold it; and the rights and responsibilities of those adults who care for a child but do not have parental responsibility.
Chapter
12. Child Protection
All books in this flagship series contain carefully selected substantial extracts from key cases, legislation, and academic debate, providing able students with a stand-alone resource. This chapter examines the law on state intervention into family life where a child is considered to be ‘in need’ or at risk of significant harm. It discusses the competing approaches to state intervention and the principles underpinning the Children Act (CA) 1989; the legal framework governing local authority support for children in need under Part III of the CA 1989 and the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014; the law and procedure regulating compulsory intervention into family life by means of care proceedings under Part IV; and the various emergency and interim measures available to protect a child thought to be at risk of immediate harm.
Chapter
12. Mixed Topic Questions
The Concentrate Questions and Answers series offers the best preparation for tackling exam and assignment questions. Each book includes key debates, typical questions, diagram answer plans, suggested answers, author commentary, and tips to gain extra marks. In real life a client is likely to require advice in relation to a number of family law issues and as a consequence, family law assessments sometimes require students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a variety of topics. This chapter contains five mixed problem questions that cover more than one area of family law: together they cover forced marriage; nullity; divorce; domestic abuse; legal parenthood; child maintenance; private law relating to children; the resolution of family disputes; financial remedies on divorce; and family property.
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