The Family Law concentration uses an innovative, interprofessional approach that gives you an opportunity to collaborate with other professionals — such as social workers — to develop creative solutions to potentially volatile cases. Because litigation is rarely the most appropriate course of action for families, you’ll learn alternative methods of dispute resolution, including mediation and other negotiation and collaborative approaches that promote the abilities of families to thrive and communicate peacefully, well after the legal case has ended.
Quinnipiac’s extensive clinic and externship courses let you go out in the field and serve family law clients while honing your skills. Our Family and Juvenile Law Society is a valuable resource for career development events and networking opportunities with lawyers in the field. And our nationally recognized Center on Dispute Resolution hosts a variety of symposia, professional workshops and special training sessions aimed at building sophisticated problem-solving skills that are particularly key in the practice of family law.
For specific information on the program offerings, please contact:
Professor Carolyn Wilkes Kaas
Director, Family Law Concentration
Quinnipiac University School of Law
275 Mount Carmel Avenue, Hamden, CT 06518
Phone: 203-582-3234
Email: carolyn.kaas@qu.edu
Family Law Concentration
Prerequisites
To be eligible for the Family Law concentration, a student must take both LAWS 311 and LAWS 305 as two of the core electives. Credits for these courses do not count toward the 18-credit concentration requirement, but grades in these prerequisites do count toward the concentration GPA requirement.
Requirements
To receive the certificate for this concentration, a student must earn 18 family law credits, divided as follows (not all courses are offered every year):
1. Coursework
Required Coursework
In addition to LAWS 311 and LAWS 305 (credits for which do not count toward the 18-credit concentration requirement) a student must take the following courses. Credits for these courses will count toward the 18-credit concentration requirement:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LAWS 370 | Family Law | 2-3 |
| LAWS 435 | Advanced Family Law I - S | 2-3 |
| LAWS 438 | Advanced Family Law II | 2-3 |
| LAWS 371 | Divorce and the Divorcing Family | 1-3 |
| Select one of the following courses: | 2-3 | |
| Representation in Mediation Exp | ||
| Introduction to Mediation | ||
| Negotiation | ||
| Alternative Dispute Resolution Exp. | ||
Recommended Core Courses
(Not all of these are offered every year.)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LAWS 384 | Juvenile Law | 3 |
| LAWS 385 | Advanced Juvenile Law - Child Protection Practices | 2 |
| LAWS 386 | Domestic Violence: Law, Practice and Pol | 2 |
| LAWS 387 | Advanced Juvenile Law: Delinquency Proceedings | 2 |
| LAWS 388 | Elder Law | 2 |
| LAWS 600 | Law and Gender | 2 |
| LAWS 644 | Probate Court Practice and Procedure Exp | 1 |
| Other courses as approved by the concentration director in consultation with the course instructor. | ||
Remaining Credits
The balance of the credits, if any, are to be earned from the following family law–related courses, or from other core courses listed above. (Not all of these are offered every year.)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LAWS 205 | Business Organizations | 4 |
| LAWS 292 | Independent Research Project W | 2 |
| LAWS 293 | Independent Research Project W | 3 |
| LAWS 313 | Advanced Individual Income Tax | 3 |
| LAWS 314 | Employee Benefits | 2 |
| LAWS 315 | Trial Practice Exp | 2-3 |
| LAWS 322 | Therapeutic Jurisprudence | 2 |
| LAWS 369 | Real Estate Transactions | 3 |
| LAWS 396 | Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights | 3 |
| LAWS 471 | Education Law | 2 |
| LAWS 549 | Bioethics | 3 |
| LAWS 564 | Poverty Law | 2 |
| LAWS 572 | Immigrat'n & Natural'n Law | 3 |
| LAWS 599 | Interviewing & Counseling Clients | 2 |
| Substantial paper courses where the paper is devoted to a family or juvenile law topic approved by the concentration director. | ||
| LAWS 525 | Moot Court I 1 | 1 |
| LAWS 526 | Moot Court II 1 | 1-2 |
| LAWS 528 | Moot Court III 1 | 1 |
| Other courses or journal work as approved by the concentration director in consultation with the course instructor. | ||
- 1
Moot Court credits, if the student participates in the Family Law Moot Court Competition (1, 2, or 3)
2. Clinical Requirement
At least 3, but no more than 3, of the 18 family law credits must be earned in the Civil Justice Clinic and/or in a family and/or juvenile law–related externship placement. Credits for ICC (LAWS 599) do not count toward the clinical requirement. (A student may exceed 3 credits for the clinical course but may only count 3 credits toward the clinical requirement of this concentration.)
a. The concentration director will determine the family-law status of any given clinic or externship.
b. The clinical requirement may be waived if the student has substantial family or juvenile law work experience. The concentration director will make this determination.
c. If the clinical requirement is waived, the student must still earn 18 credits elsewhere within the concentration to receive the concentration.
3. Writing Requirement
A student must write a substantial paper – or a series of shorter writings that together comprise a substantial amount of written work – on a topic or topics related to family or juvenile law. (If a student writes a substantial paper, it may be used to satisfy the Advanced Writing Requirement, provided that the guidelines are met as set forth in the Academic Regulations, section I.E.) The concentration director must approve the topic or topics for the written work used to satisfy this requirement. A paper written for a journal may qualify, if the concentration director approves the topic.
4. Options
A student may designate any course or paper as not counting toward the concentration, so long as it is not required for the concentration and the student meets the concentration requirements with another course or paper.
5. Waiver
The concentration director and the associate dean for academic affairs may waive any requirements for the concentration if they both agree to do so.