| Unit name | Advanced Family Law |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWD30002 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Masson |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites | |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
The unit will build on and extend students' knowledge by exploring key themes in family law relating to children and adults, which are subject to the Competing pressures of paternalism and autonomy. In particular, in child law it will examine state support for families in need; state intervention for child protection and the provision of substitute families by adoption. Relating to adults it will examine the extent to which individuals are able to make their own financial arrangements for themselves or their children when entering or leaving formal or informal relationships (marriage/ civil partnership/ cohabitation). It will develop students' knowledge and understanding of the role and limits of law and the state in regulating relationships between adults, and parents and children.
Subject knowledge- case and statute law relating to: financial / property allocation on divorce/ dissolution and on the breakdown of informal relationships; Public child law; adoption and the implications of arts 3,6 and 8 of the ECHR. Contextual skills: knowledge of the current application of the law through familiarity with empirical research literature and case studies. Application: students will develop their ability to solve legal problems. Sources and research: students will be able to find and use primary legal materials to answer questions and extend/update their knowledge of the subjects studied. Analysis/ synthesis, critical judgment and evaluation will be emphasized throughout.
10 seminars plus enhancement sessions.
Two summative pieces of coursework of 2,000 words, each contributing 50% to the final mark. Students will also have the opportunity to submit short written formative assignments for feedback in the autumn and Spring Terms
Family Law Statutes 2013-14; Probert (8th ed) or Herring 6th ed; Law Commission (2014) LC 343, Marital Property, Needs and Agreements, TSO; Douglas, G et al (2007) A failure of Trust, UoB/ Cardiff University; J. Fortin (2009) Children's Rights and the developing law, Oxford: OUP; Pearce, J et al (2011) Just following instructions, UoB.
