We will then delve into spousal and child support in more depth. We’ll discuss when liability arises and the principles determining their amounts. We will also look at enforcement mechanisms, including penalties that can be assessed against “deadbeats.”
Module 4 is devoted to looking at the federal and state laws, including model acts, under which support orders are enforced, while module 5 takes a look at resolving conflicts between parties and on the specific types of penalties that are assessed. We will also look at the state remedies of contempt of court, wage garnishment, license suspension and even criminal penalties.
In module 6 we will get into the nuts and bolts of determining support amounts and discuss the formulas that are used to calculate child and spousal support.
The second part of the course starts with discussion of the historical approaches to custody and visitation and how they have changed in recent years. We will explain the differences between physical and legal custody and how and why they are bifurcated. We will also focus on the ubiquitous “best interests of child” standard and how it is applied.
Then, we turn to the specifics of awarding joint and sole custody and the considerations that go into awarding each. We will also look at the mechanics of administering various types of custody arrangements.
Module 3 of part 2 turns to visitation. It covers visitation normally awarded to non-custodial parents and when courts can limit or even deny visitation. We will examine the factors that courts consider in making these important determinations. We will also look at third-party visitation (such as for grandparents) and the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in Troxell v. Glanville on state third-party visitation laws.
The last two modules before the case studies cover modification and enforcement, including rules and conventions that allow for nationwide and international enforcement of child custody awards, including federal and international laws designed to discourage and punish parental “kidnapping.” We also cover the grounds to modification of custody and visitation awards and the procedures for seeking modification.
This course should give you a strong background in domestic relations laws relating to support obligations and child custody and visitation.
Best of luck and we welcome your feedback.
DRL-201: Family Support and Child Custody Law