Family Law for the Paralegal

Mary E. Wilson is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to her law degree, she earned a Master’s in Education from Boston University and a Bachelor’s Degree from Middlebury College in English and Psychology. She is a member of the American Bar Association Family Law Section and is admitted to the practice of law in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Having retired as a full professor in 1997, she now is an adjunct faculty member at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill and Lawrence, Massachusetts, where she teaches courses in the paralegal and criminal justice programs. In her more than thirty-five years of teaching at both public and private institutions, she has designed and taught a variety of behavioral science, education, and law courses. She has also directed a statewide training program for foster parents and social workers through the Massachusetts Community College system and has authored training manuals on child discipline and working with abused and neglected children. A former department chair, she has also served as a director and dean at Northern Essex.

1. Introduction to a Family Law Practice

2. Cohabitation and Premarital Agreements

3. Marriage

4. Annulment

5. The Divorce Process

6. Discovery and Financial Statements

7. Parenthood

8. Adoption

9. Child Custody

10. Child Support

11. Spousal Support

12. Property Division

13. Separation Agreements

14. Family Violence

APPENDIX A: National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility

APPENDIX B: Websites of Interest

APPENDIX C: State Websites for Forms and Statutes

Glossary

Index