Recent developments in family law, including, but certainly not limited to same-sex marriage and second parent adoption, make issues surrounding children and their families increasingly popular. This book is a vehicle to teach some of the contested issues without always relying on cases. As a supplemental text, the book provides law students, as well as social welfare or public policy graduate students interested in family relations, with a multifaceted analysis of how families have become the focal point for debate, providing information on how families function as social institutions and how the law interacts with them. It also deepens such students' understanding of things like the meaning of family, the rights and responsibilities of parents, and the best interests and rights of children.

About the authors:

Professor Joan Catherine Bohl is Professor of Legal Skills at Stetson Law School, currently a visiting professor at Santa Clara Law School. She received her B.A. from Boston University and J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. Professor Bohl served for five years as staff attorney to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, becoming counsel to the Court's Ethics Advisory Panel. She is a nationally-recognized expert on grandparent visitation.

Christine Metteer Lorillard is Professor of LAWS (Legal Analysis, Writing, and Skills) at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. She received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from UCLA. Professor Lorillard has pursued a strong interest in both Native American and Children's Rights, resulting in nationally-recognized articles on the Indian Child Welfare Act, state adoption law, and determining "Indian" status for federal rights and benefits.