The course covers subjects from the history of relationship violence, cultural issues, including immigration and tribal concerns, economic impacts, women as defendants, law enforcement and prosecutorial roles, civil protection orders, stalking, sexual assault and batterer intervention programs, working with people with disabilities, the impact on children, as well as state and federal legislation that impacts domestic violence in criminal and civil cases.
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In general, domestic relations/family law is simply a course that focuses on the rights and responsibilities of a family in the eyes of the law. Thus, most courses focus on what defines a family, what protections the law offers when one is in a family, and what are the consequences of breaking up a family. Courses usually look into two kinds of family relationships: spouse to spouse and parent to child. Some professors articulate the policy side of the course and focus on issues that plague the domestic relations/family law world. Also, family law and/or domestic relations is a topic that is covered on the essay portion of some bar exams, including in Michigan. Because of this, many law schools offer domestic relations or family law as a course and highly recommend taking it.
Another hot topic for domestic relations is child custody. There are two types of custody: legal custody and physical custody. Legal custody means the right to make important long-term decisions about a child’s education, religion, medical care, and other matters of major significance to the child’s life and welfare. Physical custody entails the day-to-day physical and mental care, along with the right to make day-to-day decisions on behalf of the child’s life and welfare. Each state has different means of determining child custody. In Michigan, the courts look to what is in “the best interests of the child” and look to the statute for specific guidance in order to determine what parent gets custody and what kind of custody is granted.
Shirlene Brown is a first-generation student in her last year at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan. At Wayne, Shirlene has been involved with numerous organizations and clubs, including mock trial, LexisNexis, the Women's Law Caucus, and the Journal of Law and Society. Shirlene enjoys mentoring others and sharing what she has learned on her legal journey and continues to work hard in accomplishing her dreams.
In a divorce, a QDRO recognizes one spouse's rights to the other spouse's qualified retirement account. The order must agree with the plan's rules though. Menu burger. Close thin. Facebook.
If it’s rejected because, say, the order requires a lump sum distribution and the plan does not offer that option , the alternate payee will need to renegotiate that part of the divorce settlement. You also want to submit a QDRO promptly to ensure that you receive the full amount that is yours.
A QDRO states the dollar amount or percentage that belongs to the non-participant spouse, called the alternate payee, and the number of payments or time period to which the order applies. A QDRO can apply to any retirement or pension account covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).