Family Law Education Reform Project

This website is sponsored by the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), Hofstra Law School’s Center for Children, Families and the Law and William Mitchell College of Law.

This website is intended for use by full-time and adjunct law professors and those teaching related academic courses. Approved users will have access to four types of material on this website:

• Short discussion guides commissioned by this website by recognized non law professor experts in social science, mental health and alternative dispute resolution to help us integrate interdisciplinary perspectives on such issues as domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, developmental psychology, mediation, parenting evaluations, and unified family courts. The discussion guides summarize the latest research, emphasize key points with which the expert believes law students in a basic family law course should be familiar and includes references.
• Simulation exercises, which have been donated by law professors, integrate skills training in a variety of areas with substantive family law. Exercise topics include interviewing, counseling, negotiation, representation in mediation and courtroom advocacy. Some exercises include student evaluation tools.
• Evaluation tools offer course instructors and evaluators the opportunity to assist students in embracing their strengths and limiting weaknesses as they undertake various simulation exercises. Many of the evaluations offer a structure for customizing and adaptation, while others have been tested and are complete. Some evaluations accompany simulation exercises.
• Course syllabi for skills-based family law courses donated by law professors.

Users also have the opportunity to post comments on the exercises and the discussion guides, submit exercises and syllabi and post questions to the FLER Project Website community.