Curriculum Guide · Curriculum

J.D. Courses
Basic introductory courses in family law include Family Law I and Family Law II, which are independent courses that need not be taken in sequence. Family Law I: Marriage and Divorce focuses on the domestic relationships of adults. Topics include regulation of eligibility to marry, legal treatment of spouses in an ongoing marriage, the constitutional right of procreational privacy, divorce, child custody, child support, financial obligations at divorce, and intimate nonmarital relationships. Material generally is drawn from the social and behavioral sciences as well as from traditional legal sources such as case law, statutes, and model rules.

Family Law II: Parent, Child, and the State examines the distribution of authority and responsibility among parent, child, and the state. Selected topics include procreation, education, health care, treatment of disabled infants, child abuse and neglect, emancipation, and adoption. Prior or concurrent enrollment in Constitutional Law II is recommended for students taking Family Law II.

Professor Regan's four-credit course, Family Law, covers material that is included in both Family Law I and Family Law II. The first half of the course deals with the law's regulation of the intimate relationships of adults. The second half of the course deals with the rights and obligations involved in the parent-child relationship.

Sexual Orientation and the Law: Selected Topics in Civil Rights explores the legal treatment of sexual orientation. This course explores the life experiences of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals, and examines how the legal system regulates: sexuality, particularly through sodomy laws; expressions of lesbian and gay identity; workplace issues; and personal and family relationships, including marriage, domestic partnerships, and parenthood. Readings from various areas of the law are examined and supplemented by material from history, fiction, psychology, sociology, feminist theory, oral history, and journalism.

J.D. Seminars
Professor Orsy's Canon Law Seminar explores the historical development and nature of "religious law," surveys the content of the Code of Canon Law, and explains the norms that guide its interpretation. The second part of the seminar focuses on the law of marriage. Professor Abu-Odeh’s Comparative Family Law Seminar explores the differences and similarities between U.S. family law and family law in the Muslim Middle East. Professor Williams' Gender and the Law (offered as a course or seminar) studies the legal regulation of the roles and relations of women and men. It begins with an historical consideration of women's and men's status under the Constitution. It then explores modern Constitutional and statutory sex equality doctrine, as well as feminist critiques of that doctrine and the alternative equality theories that feminists propose. Subjects of analysis include reproduction, parenthood, labor force participation, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and pornography. Constitutional Law II is recommended as a prerequisite to this course.

Professors Chused and Williams teach a seminar on Gender and the Law in American History, which focuses on the legal and cultural status of women in American history. Topics covered include the Constitutional status of women; the suffrage, temperance, and anti-lynching movements; the institution of marriage; law and reproduction; the legal status of non-white women; and protective labor legislation. Substantial original historical research papers are required.

Professor Sabatino's Elder Law Seminar explores the demographics, public perceptions, special legal problems, and public policy issues affecting older persons within the justice system. Topics include those relating to income maintenance, health care, estate and personal planning, age discrimination in employment, and ethical issues in representing the elderly.

J.D. Clinics

The Juvenile Justice Clinic offers students an opportunity to provide legal representation to children involved in criminal cases before the District of Columbia Superior Court, Family Division. Students are involved in developing interviewing and negotiation techniques, legal research and writing, and in-court advocacy skills.

The Domestic Violence Clinic provides students with the opportunity to represent victims of domestic violence seeking legal protection from abuse. Students bring actions to obtain injunctive relief in the form of civil protection orders, and may also be involved in filing contempt motions against abusers who violate such an order. The seminar also presents students with the substantive and procedural law relevant to their cases, including the local domestic violence statute, criminal law, family law, evidence, and procedural rules.

Related J.D. Courses
Several courses in the J.D. curriculum touch upon various aspects of family life or offer treatment of subjects that may be relevant for students interested in the practice or study of family law. These are grouped by general topic below.

Constitutional Law
Constitutional Law II

Law and Social Policy
Education Law and Policy
Health Law and Policy
Homelessness, Poverty, and Legal Advocacy Seminar
Poverty Law and Policy Seminar

Gender
Feminist Legal Theory Seminar
International and Comparative Law on Women's Human Rights

Health
AIDS Law and Ethics
Bioethics and the Law Seminar
Drug Abuse and the Law: Policy, Politics, and Public Health
Public Health Law and Ethics

Financial Issues
Decedents’ Estates
Estate and Gift Taxation
Estate Planning Seminar
Fiduciaries: Myths and Realities (mini-course)
Taxation I

Professional Skills
Alternative Dispute Resolution (course or seminar)
Mediation Seminar
Negotiations and Drafting Seminar
Negotiations and Mediation Seminar
Negotiations Seminar
Trial Practice

Children
Constitutional Values and the American Public School
Education Law and Policy
Law, Public Education, and Equality of Opportunity Seminar

Full-time and Visiting Faculty:
Judith Areen
Deborah Epstein
Chai R. Feldblum
Patricia A. King
Wallace J. Mlyniec
Ladislas M. Orsy
Milton C. Regan
Philomila Tsoukala