Family law is one of the most commonly taken elective courses in law school. Since it is not a required course, students generally take it in their second or third year of law school. Family law is not tested by the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), but is typically found on the unique essay portions of state bar exams. Family law largely focuses on legal issues surrounding marriage and children. When family law is avoided by law students, it is frequently because the class has a negative reputation as an unsavory divorce law course. While the dissolution of marriage is an important aspect of family law, the class is much more diverse and complex than many law students give it credit for.
Family law includes elements of both contract law and constitutional law; in particular, the Fourteenth Amendment. Much of the analysis focuses on when state laws that circumscribe individuals' ability to marry or raise their children are permissible. The constitutional issues that are presented in family law classes tend to give many law students great difficulty. This is because constitutional law is one of the more complex classes in law school. Additionally, the Fourteenth Amendment is usually the focus of its own, more advanced class, and not all students choose to study it. Thus, family law students often have only had limited exposure to the most difficult materials in the class. This can make the analyses that are used by the Supreme Court difficult to follow. What is a fundamental right? Do people have a fundamental right to marry and to raise their children? Where are the limits to those rights? What is a compelling state interest? Should the court apply strict scrutiny to a law? If not, which test should the court use?
On a more basic level, you'll learn the legal ins and outs of dispute resolution and mediation. The professional ideals of counseling, representation, and delinquency are covered, and the intricacies of the justice system are explained so that you will gain a working understanding of how these fit into the big picture. Every concept you will learn affects every member of the family. Appreciating the diversity and complexity of the course will help to maximize your knowledge to make you more suited for family law cases you may encounter down the road. The more a family law professional knows, the more help they can be to husbands, wives, children, and siblings in distress. For the time being, it's important to focus on the big questions, which concentrate on basic human rights and the laws that impact them.
A family law tutor can help you understand all of these complex issues. These tutors are skilled at crafting and editing law class outlines, and can help you construct a thorough and concise study guide as well. Your tutor can even help you with essay writing, helping you craft and support an argument with the relevant case law. This will help you write more comprehensive, organized, and persuasive essays and exam answers. Your tutor's goal is to help you understand all the relevant concepts and principles, and also to help you become proficient at communicating your knowledge. With so much information being communicated in a family law course, a little extra help can go a long way in boosting your chances for success. Your tutoring sessions will offer one-on-one, individualized instruction, which allows for you and your family law tutor to focus on the specific concepts in which you most need help. Tutors are available to meet at your home or at another location of your choosing, such as the law library at your university, or face-to-face online. Contact a Varsity Tutors educational director today to get connected with an exceptional family law tutor near you!
