In teaching and in practicing family law, the availability of pertinent codified material and recent commentary is indispensable. This compendium of statutory materials supplements the casebook by these same authors. The book is divided into four sections: (1) Uniform Laws and Model Legislation, (2) Federal Statutes, (3) State Statutes, and (4) International Treaties. These four sections illustrate the evolving perspective of family law, nationally and internationally. Included are statutes addressing, among others topics, premarital and marital agreements, testimony by minors, professional responsibility standards, mediation and arbitration, proof of paternity and surrogacy, and international treaties to protect children and women. Each statute is preceded by citations to pertinent legal periodicals, providing explanation and parameters for practice. As a quick reference or to provide a survey of what has been legislated to address a particular situation, this compendium of codes and commentary is an indispensable complement to the classroom or to practice.

The Fifth Edition of the Perspectives book continues the focus of providing students, practitioners, and observers with insight into the ever-changing parameters of laws pertaining to family structure and responsibilities. Specifically, this book addresses, among other topics, nonmarital cohabitation, establishment of paternity, premarital and marital contracting, assisted reproductive technology, marriage, and divorce. Recent cases and federal and state statutes address specific topics such as surrogacy agreements, division of marital and nonmarital property upon dissolution of cohabitation or divorce, child support guidelines, and establishing custody rights through parenting agreements or what is considered in the best interest of the child. And there is a continuation of discussion illustrating equal protection, liberty interest, and free exercise in the context of same-sex relationships, the safety of partners and children, and termination of parental rights and possible adoption of minors. The Perspectives book seeks to provide the reader with a grasp of what is currently the law and a glimpse into where the law may be going.

The Ninth Edition continues to incorporate judicial opinions from state, federal, and international courts that illustrate the evolution and dynamism of domestic relations with compelling factual scenarios that illustrate both statutory and common law. Specifically, the casebook utilizes the newly revised Uniform Parentage Act, the federal Family First Prevention Services Act, and other newly enacted statutes pertaining to domestic violence, joint physical custody, and assisted reproductive technology. There are multiple Problems spread throughout the chapters, drawn from actual state and federal judicial opinions, which test student understanding and illustrate the real-life consequences of the legal issues being discussed. And the casebook has been streamlined to provide a logical and concise progression of material, from nonmarital cohabitation to adoption of adults. This logical sequencing permits the book to be used for two, three or four credit courses, especially since there is a statutory supplement offering a more complete view of the ways that statutes affect family law in today's America. Among the topics addressed are: Nonmarital Cohabitation: including enforcement of agreements or judicial distribution of assets and remuneration for services Free Exercise Challenges: including privacy rights, school vouchers, and medical treatments Premarital and Marital Contracting: including proper execution and subsequent enforcement Assisted Reproductive Technology: including surrogacy agreements, posthumous conception, and embryo distribution at divorce Marriage: including common law, proxy, and the rationale for a state's insistence of marital formalities Divorce: including grounds and defenses and the factors necessary to achieve a proper domicile Marital Property and Spousal Support: including definition of what constitutes property and temporary and permanent support Child Support: including state guidelines, effect of joint physical custody, and federal efforts to recover lost support Child Custody and Visitation: including parenting plans, allocation arrangements, best interest of child, and modification of custody arrangements Termination of Parental Rights: including Constitutional guarantees, predictive termination, and entitlement to civil representation Adoption of Minor and Adults: including civil responsibility of adoption agencies and transnational adoptions

The Ninth Edition continues to incorporate judicial opinions from state, federal, and international courts that illustrate the evolution and dynamism of domestic relations with compelling factual scenarios that illustrate both statutory and common law. Specifically, the casebook utilizes the newly revised Uniform Parentage Act, the federal Family First Prevention Services Act, and other newly enacted statutes pertaining to domestic violence, joint physical custody, and assisted reproductive technology. There are multiple Problems spread throughout the chapters, drawn from actual state and federal judicial opinions, which test student understanding and illustrate the real-life consequences of the legal issues being discussed. And the casebook has been streamlined to provide a logical and concise progression of material, from nonmarital cohabitation to adoption of adults. This logical sequencing permits the book to be used for two, three or four credit courses, especially since there is a statutory supplement offering a more complete view of the ways that statutes affect family law in today's America. Among the topics addressed are: Nonmarital Cohabitation: including enforcement of agreements or judicial distribution of assets and remuneration for services Free Exercise Challenges: including privacy rights, school vouchers, and medical treatments Premarital and Marital Contracting: including proper execution and subsequent enforcement Assisted Reproductive Technology: including surrogacy agreements, posthumous conception, and embryo distribution at divorce Marriage: including common law, proxy, and the rationale for a state's insistence of marital formalities Divorce: including grounds and defenses and the factors necessary to achieve a proper domicile Marital Property and Spousal Support: including definition of what constitutes property and temporary and permanent support Child Support: including state guidelines, effect of joint physical custody, and federal efforts to recover lost support Child Custody and Visitation: including parenting plans, allocation arrangements, best interest of child, and modification of custody arrangements Termination of Parental Rights: including Constitutional guarantees, predictive termination, and entitlement to civil representation Adoption of Minor and Adults: including civil responsibility of adoption agencies and transnational adoptions