University of Richmond Family Law Center to host State of the Family Symposium Sept. 16-18
August 16, 2007
Family lawyers, judges, professors, mental health professionals and other experts will debate and discuss the law, research and social policies that impact families and children during a symposium at the University of Richmond School of Law Sept. 16-18.
"State of the Family 2007," the first symposium hosted by the law school's new National Center for Family Law and Virginia CLE, will include a presentation on foster care by Virginia's first lady, the Hon. Anne B. Holton, and a mock mediation session with the Hon. Johanna L. Fitzpatrick, senior judge, Court of Appeals of Virginia, as moderator.
Among more than a dozen presenters are Lynne Marie Kohm, John Brown McCarty Professor of Family Law at Regent University, and Dale Carpenter, Julius E. Davis Professor of Law from University of Minnesota, who will speak on same-sex marriages and civil unions; Marc J. Ackerman, clinical and forensic psychologist, who will share prepublication results of his child placement and custody study; Lynn Wardle, Bruce C. Hafen Professor of Law at J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, who will discuss cultural and religious roles in family law; and Stephanie Coontz of Evergreen State College, Olympia, Wash.
Other sessions will address the historical transformation of marriage and the family, factors used to decide custody cases, rethinking the "best interests of the child" standard, and ethics and professionalism in family law cases.
The conference is approved for 15 hours of Virginia CLE credit to participants, including one hour of ethics credit.
Throughout the conference, students, speakers and the public will be able to register their thoughts and ideas about the sessions on a law school blog set up for the symposium at nationalcenterforfamilylaw.blogspot.com.
The National Center for Family Law is an academic and public service unit of Richmond School of Law committed to serving the best interests of families and children through programs dedicated to enhancing the quality of the American legal system as it relates to them.
For more information or to register, go to vacle.org or call (800) 979-8253.