Family Law

“Family” looks different to everyone, and understanding the complexities of the law can make or break cases for practicing lawyers.

As clients turn to you with their family law needs, you can turn to the LexisNexis family law portfolio to answer questions in emerging areas. Here are a few tried-and-tested titles that can help. 

Family Law Books

1. Family Law and Practice

Written by a distinguished group of matrimonial practitioners and family law experts from across the country, this treatise is national in scope and practice-oriented, providing guidance for every stage of a family law proceeding from initial client contact through modification and enforcement. Some of the topics covered in this comprehensive, up-to-date work include: 

• Strategy
• Temporary relief
• Child custody, including the latest cases on joint vs. sole custody 
• Valuation and distribution of property upon dissolution of marriage 
• Child support 
• Spousal support 
• Domestic violence 
• The latest tax considerations 
• Discovery, pre-trial, and trial techniques 
• Modification and enforcement of support orders 
• Divorce, support and benefits relevant to military families 
• Paternity proceedings 
• Adoption 
• Unmarried cohabitants 
• Counsel fees 
• Attorney ethics 

Practice aids incorporated throughout the work include model pleadings, orders, motion papers, sample retainers, financial questionnaires, sample interrogatories, models of equitable distribution of marital property, model direct and cross-examinations. 

2. Lindey and Parley on Separation Agreements and Antenuptial Contracts

Lindey and Parley on Separation Agreements and Antenuptial Contracts, Second Edition is a complete source for family law agreement forms, including premarital, separation, and marital settlement agreements, as well as cohabitation and postnuptial agreements.

Lindey and Parley also covers attorney-client fee agreements and related transactional forms. Streamlined and modernized to make your research more efficient, the Second Edition includes nearly 600 easy-to-use forms. 

3. Valuation and Distribution of Marital Property

This guide to property disposition in community property and equitable distribution jurisdictions covers: 

•  Latest tax issues relating to the disposition of property
• Use of accountants, appraisers, and pension evaluators
• Valuation of real property 
• Valuation of small businesses including closely held corporations 
• Valuation of a professional practice 
• Valuation of intangible assets including a degree or license 
• Valuation of ERISA and non-ERISA pension plans; drafting the QDRO 
• The characterization and division of community property 
• Antenuptial, postnuptial and property settlement agreements 
• Possession, sale and distribution of the marital home 
• Conflicts of law 

View a sample of this title using the ReadNow feature.

4. Child Custody and Visitation Law and Practice

This national publication covers all custody and visitation matters handled by the family law practitioner including every phase of a disputed custody or visitation proceeding, effective use of expert witnesses, substantive law of custody and visitation, alternatives to traditional approaches, practical advice on management of a case, and  analysis of UCCJEA, PKPA, ICWA, and the Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

Topics discussed include: 

• Child custody mediation
• Child abuse and custody
• Rights of putative fathers 
• International enforcement of custodial rights 
• The effective use of mental health experts and child custody evaluation reports and custody determinations considering the new reproductive technologies in custody-visitation disputes 
• Disputes between parents 
• Disputes between parents and non-parents 
• The role of child preference 

Special features include over 150 litigation forms, scope notes, extensive footnotes covering all 50 states, and a detailed state-by-state analysis of the UCCJEA. 

5. Modern Child Custody Practice

Cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Troxel, scrutinizing grandparent visitation, and also by the supreme courts of 11 states, Modern Child Custody Practice is the manual that: 

• Treats the human dynamics as well as the legal aspects of child custody and support cases  
• Analyzes each step of the custody proceeding, from the first client interview through the appeals process
• Describes how to most effectively use--or rebut--the testimony of mental health professionals
• Explains when joint or split custody is a viable alternative   
• Thoroughly discusses visitation by the noncustodial parent, grandparents and stepparents  
• Evaluates the type and degree of change required to modify custody   
• Provides guidance for handling an out-of-state move by the custodial parent  
• Sets forth the orientation and techniques used in mediation  
• Includes forms, checklists, case examples, detailed citations and appendices  
• Covers child custody jurisdiction, including a thorough analysis of the law, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) and the Hague Convention

 View a sample of this title using the ReadNow feature 

Family Lawyers

In general, family law covers the following topics:

• Divorce
• Separation
• Alimony and Spousal Support
• Child Custody
• Legal and Physical Custody
• Abuse and Neglect
• Child Support
• Pre and Post-nuptial Agreements

Looking for authoritative analysis of family law from court-cited resources? Browse our 2022 Family Law Digital catalog.

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