The Family & Juvenile Law Pathway is designed as a guided curriculum that will help you develop the skill set necessary to work or practice law in the family law and/or juvenile law community. Family and juvenile law attorneys serve clients in a broad array of legal areas, such as divorce, child custody, child abuse and neglect, domestic and international adoption, domestic violence and child support. Therefore, in addition to developing basic knowledge of family law, you must learn a variety of ancillary subjects, such as bankruptcy, tax and others listed in this Pathway. By following this Pathway, you will hone core legal analysis, research and writing and trial skills.
Faculty Advisors
Professors LaShanda Adams, Andrew Budzinski, Matt Fraidin, and Tianna Gibbs
Curriculum
Stage 1: Foundational Courses
- Administrative Law CORE
- Civil Procedure I and II REQ.
- Evidence REQ.
- Family Law CORE
- Federal Taxation CORE
- Property I and II REQ.
- Wills and Estates CORE
Stage 2: Electives
Stage 3: Experiential Opportunities
REQ. = Required course for all students | CORE = At least 3 core courses are required
RALWR = An opportunity to complete the Research Paper requirement | CR = An opportunity to complete the Clinic requirement
Community Service/Summer Fellowships/Externships
UDC Law has extensive connections with non-profit organizations and governmental agencies in the DC metropolitan region that provide students with the opportunity to spend a semester actually working in their chosen fields. The following are some examples of relevant placements students have obtained with outside organizations and agencies:
- AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly
- American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law
- Advocates for Justice and Education
- Ayuda Inc.
- Bread for the City Legal Clinic
- Break the Cycle
- Children’s Law Center
- Christian Legal Aid of DC
- Coalition for Juvenile Justice
- DC Bar Pro Bono Center
- DC Office of the Attorney General, Child Support Services Division
- DC Office of the Attorney General, Family Services Division
- DC Superior Court, Family Court
- Domestic Violence Legal Empowerment and Appeals Project (DV LEAP)
- Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
- Legal Aid Justice Center
- Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia
- Legal Services of Northern Virginia
- Maryland District Court and Circuit Court
- National Association for the Education of Young Children
- National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit
- National School Boards Association
- Neighborhood Legal Services Program
- Pension Rights Center
- Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities
- Service Members Law Center
- So Others Might Eat (SOME)
- Tzedek DC
- Virginia Legal Aid Society
- Whitman-Walker Health Legal Services Program