Mar 28, 2024  
2022-2023 College Catalog 
    
2022-2023 College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

PAR 208 - Domestic Relations and Family Law

3 Credits, 3 Contact Hours
3 lecture periods 0 lab periods

Law and procedures related to family relationships and domestic matters. Includes basic principles of family law, marital contracts, legal issues in family law affecting children, initiating a divorce proceeding, contested proceedings, and assisting at a dissolution trial.

Prerequisite(s): PAR 101  
Information: Prerequisite may be waived if employed in a legal-related field; see a PAR advisor or course instructor.
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Course Learning Outcomes
  1. Explain the role of the legal assistant in the area of family law, client confidences, secret, and work product.
  2. Apply contract law to domestic relations and family law cases from premarital agreements to property settlement.
  3. Apply the Arizona child support guidelines and calculate each party’s responsibility for the support of their children.
  4. Prepare basic documents and describe the appropriate procedures to follow from the commencement of a dissolution action through granting of the final decree.
  5. Describe the differences between mediation, arbitration, and the conciliation process.
  6. Organize documents, set up a file and docketing system, and prepare a case for trial.

Outline:
  1. Basic Principles of Family Law
    1. Working in a family law practice
    2. Building a trust relationship with your client
    3. Ceremonial marriage
    4. Legal rights of women
    5. Community property law
    6. Domestic torts
  2. Marital Contracts
    1. Antenuptial agreements
    2. Breach of promise
    3. Heart Balm Acts
    4. Property division and settlement agreements
    5. Tax considerations
  3. Legal Issues in Family Law Affecting Children
    1. Legal rights of children
    2. Illegitimacy and paternity
    3. Surrogacy
    4. Child custody
    5. Child support and the uniform guidelines
  4. Initiating a Divorce Proceeding
    1. Client intake and interview procedures
    2. Retainer agreements
    3. Jurisdiction, venue, and service requirements
    4. Drafting a petition for resolution and other documents
  5. Contested Proceedings
    1. Annulment and legal separations
    2. Filing a response
    3. Role of the conciliation court
    4. Organizing discovery and file management
  6. Assisting at a Dissolution Trial
    1. Pretrial statement and conference
    2. Inventory of property
    3. Spousal affidavits and spousal maintenance
    4. Preparation of witnesses and exhibits
    5. Drafting a decree, qualified domestic relations order’s (QDRO’s) and accompanying documents