Courses in Family Law & Children's Rights

Below is a sampling of courses offered on Family Law & Children’s Rights.

Adoption Law Seminar

LAW 311

Readings and discussions on a range of issues raised by the process of adopting children into a family: termination of rights of the birth parents; qualifications to adopt; "private" adoptions and the role of attorneys; transracial adoptions; international adoptions; adoption by gays and lesbians; grandparent adoptions; adoption subsidies; common-law adoptions; alternatives such as foster care and orphanages; etc. A research paper is required.

Bioethics and the Law Seminar

LAW 318

An analysis of the legal and moral dilemmas that arise from new technology in the life sciences, which challenge traditional assumptions, including mind and behavior, genetic, procreative, reproductive, and death control methods; and organ transplantations.

Child Custody: Law & Practice

LAW 587

Child Custody: Law and Practice Professor Ken Agran Intersession 2010 When separating or divorcing parents (particularly those with economic resources) disagree regarding the `best interests' of their children, how is the court to decide? Here in California and many other states, attorneys and judges often turn to a custody evaluator a qualified mental health professional for an expert opinion. A custody evaluation may last many weeks or months, and the evaluator's recommendations are often given great deference by the courts. What exactly takes place in a custody evaluation, and what are the relevant legal, psychological, and practical criteria by which decisions are made? Equally important, how can an attorney effectively represent a client faced with a custody evaluation? The course will explore these basic questions in detail. Part of the course will feature examination of relevant statutes, case law, and interdisciplinary articles, while the remainder of the course will feature in-class simulations, role playing exercises, and hypothetical scenarios designed to illuminate the custody evaluation process, and to provide future attorneys with the practical knowledge and skills to properly advise and represent a client through a custody evaluation. Students will be evaluated based on their in-class participation in the discussions, simulations, and exercises, and based on their performance on various writing assignments.

Clinic: Children’s Advocacy

LAW 617

Students will assist in the completion of cases filed in Orange County Family Law and Probate Courts involving such matters as guardianship, adoption, limited conservatorship, paternity, dissolution of marriage, custody and support. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in the court-based Guardianship Clinic and Self-Represented Parties Court. Student enrollment limited to 5 students in the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. PRE-REQ: LAW 601 Lawyering Skills, or will take it concurrently.

Clinic: Family Violence

LAW 618

Students will provide domestic violence victims and their children assistance in completing restraining orders and other family law actions related to their cases in the local courts. Students may also participate in a monthly legal clinic at a nearby domestic violence shelter. Student enrollment limited to 5 students during the Fall and Spring semesters. PRE-REQ: LAW 601 Lawyering Skills or will take it concurrently.

Community Property

LAW 403

An examination of the classification of property, its management and control, and its distribution upon dissolution of the community according to California law.

Constitutional Law I

LAW 202

An examination of the sources and nature of constitutional law and of the judicial functions in constitutional cases; the scope of federal power, the separation of powers, and the federal system; protection of the rights of individuals, due process, equal protection issues; the Bill of Rights; contract impairment; eminent domain; and the privileges and immunities of citizens. Students must sign up with the same professor for Constitutional Law I and II.

Constitutional Law II

LAW 203

An examination of the sources and nature of constitutional law and of the judicial functions in constitutional cases; the scope of federal power, the separation of powers, and the federal system; protection of the rights of individuals, due process, equal protection issues; the Bill of Rights; contract impairment; eminent domain; and the privileges and immunities of citizens. Students must sign up with the same professor for Constitutional Law I and II.

Contemporary Problems in Family Law Seminar

LAW 359

This seminar will focus on modern legal issues pertaining to international adoption law with an emphasis on the effects of the Hague Convention on the international adoption process. Topics will include an overview of events and laws leading up to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption (Hague Convention), an overview of the Hague Convention, a survey of the effect of the Hague Convention on adoption laws in foreign countries and the U.S., and an evaluation of the effectiveness of post-Hague Convention international adoption laws and procedures.

Estate Planning

LAW 522

An analysis of revocable and irrevocable lifetime trusts as a will supplement; whether and how to avoid probate; life insurance settlement options and employee death benefits; concurrent interests including community property; use of short-term trusts to reduce income tax; marital deduction; selection of fiduciary; and estate planning of intestate property.

Family Law

LAW 523

A discussion of law relating to family relations, including marriage, divorce, child and spousal support, custody, cohabitation, and other non-traditional structures.

International Adoption Law Seminar

LAW 526

This seminar will focus on modern legal issues pertaining to international adoption law with an emphasis on the effects of the Hague Convention on the international adoption process. Topics will include an overview of events and laws leading up to the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption (Hague Convention), an overview of the Hague Convention, a survey of the effect of the Hague Convention on adoption laws in foreign countries and the U.S., and an evaluation of the effectiveness of post-Hague Convention international adoption laws and procedures.

International and Comparative Juvenile Criminal Adjudication

LAW 385

Journal of Children & Family Advocacy

LAW 558

Students earning credit for Journal of Child and Family Advocacy participation during any semester must register for such credit during registration or during the add/drop period. Only students who have obtained membership by the first day of the semester are eligible for unit credit during that semester. There will be no fee for this change if students have been invited to join the Journal.

Juvenile Justice

LAW 533

This is a survey course of fundamental international law concepts. Among the topics covered will be the history and various aspects of the international legal systems, establishing jurisdiction in various international courts, different issues in international human rights law and the changing legal terrain after the attacks of 9/11/2001.

Juvenile Law Advocacy

LAW 386

The course provides an examination through simulation and discussion of the special legal rules and principles applicable to child dependency trials and appeals, including mandatory mediation, detention, disposition, and jurisdictional hearings, writs, and appeals. Practical strategies for child witness, and for medical and psychological expert witness examination are discussed. In addition, for the Summer Abroad program, discussion of the comparable system in Spain and possibly other European countries may be included.

Reproductive Technoloy Seminar

LAW 356

This course will explore the medical and ethical world and of assisted reproductive technologies. We will begin by the discussing human reproduction and concepts of personhood, including government intervention in reproductive making. The main focus of the course will be charting the developments of reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization, postmortem reproduction, and human cloning. These technologies a host of issues, including selective reduction of multiple pregnancy, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, cryopreservation of human eggs and embryos, and the sale of human gametes. In addition, we will discuss recent developments in the field of human embryonic stem cell research. The course will provide a multidisciplinary framework for understanding these intriguing technologies.

Special Education Law

LAW 519

Special Education Law is a rapidly expanding area of practice in California and throughout the United States. This course reviews relevant state and federal legislation, (particularly the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or

Wills and Trusts

LAW 408

A study of the methods of disposing of a donor's wealth during lifetime and at death, with emphasis on the use of wills and trusts.