LibGuides: Family Law: Home

Introduction

Family tends to be a state law issue, so this guide focuses on family law in Maryland. In general, when researching a topic within a substantive area of the law like family law, one should start with secondary sources to find the leading and most relevant primary law. Once you have some citations in hand, look them up in primary sources. If you are also interested in interdisciplinary research, check out the materials listed on the Non-law Sources tab. Be sure to check out the current awareness resources so that you stay abreast of developments throughout your research.

Please note, access to certain databases linked to in this guide may be restricted to the UB Law community.

Family Law Organizations and Resources

ABA Center on Children and the Law
ABA Section on Family Law Serving the field of family law in areas such as adoption, divorce, custody, military law, alternative families, and elder law.
Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM) Professional organization for mediators with variety of backgrounds, including law, that provide mediation services to families. Produces newsletter.
American Academy of Adoption Attorneys A national association of approximately 340 attorneys who practice, or have otherwise distinguished themselves, in the field of adoption law.
American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
American College of Family Trial Lawyers Select group of 100 of the top family law trial lawyers from across the United States
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts AFCC is the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts - an interdisciplinary and international association of professionals dedicated to the resolution of family conflict. Includes a Texas chapter: http://www.texasafcc.org/.
A Better Balance: The Work and Family Legal Center Organization advocating for American workers to have the time and flexibility they need to care for their families.
Family and Youth Law Center From Capital University Law School.
Federalist Society's Bibilography A list of conservative and libertarian legal scholarship in the area of family law. Dated
International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) A worldwide association of practicing lawyers who are recognized by their peers as the most experienced and expert family law specialists in their respective countries whose primary objective of the Academy is to improve international family law practice throughout the world.
International Society of Family Law (ISFL) An international scholarly organization dedicated to the study and discussion of family law.
Legal Information Institute: Family Law Offers encyclopedic entries on various family law topics as well as selected fifty state surveys.
National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) Non-profit child advocacy and professional membership association. The NACC is dedicated to providing high quality legal representation for children.
National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) NCSEA serves child support professionals, agencies, and strategic partners worldwide through professional development, communications, public awareness, and advocacy to enhance the financial, medical, and emotional support that parents provide for their children.
National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. NCSL provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues. NCSL is an advocate for the interests of state governments before Congress and federal agencies. The leadership of NCSL is composed of legislators and staff from across the country.
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) Organization with a mission to improve courts and systems practice and raise awareness of the core issues that touch the lives of many of our nation's children and families.
State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center (SPARC) An initiative funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative to improve outcomes for children and families involved with the child welfare system by building the capacity of and connections between state child welfare advocates.
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: Child Welfare Gateway Child Welfare Information Gateway promotes the safety, permanency, and well-being of children, youth, and families by connecting child welfare, adoption, and related professionals as well as the general public to information, resources, and tools covering topics on child welfare, child abuse and neglect, out-of-home care, adoption, and more. A service of the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Gateway provide access to print and electronic publications, websites, databases, and online learning tools for improving child welfare practice, including resources that can be shared with families.
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: Office of Child Support Enforcement An Office of the Administration for Children & Families. Responsible for federal programs that promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities.

Domestic Violence Resources

ABA Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence
Advanced Special Immigrant Survivors Technical Assistance (ASISTA)
APPA Community Corrections Response to Domestic Violence: Guidelines for Practice
Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-based Violence
Asian Task Force on Domestic Violence
Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community (IDVAAC)
IDVAAC closed in September 2016, but the information on their website will be available for review until 2026. The new organization is Ujima, Inc. (listed below).
Legal Momentum: The Women's Legal Defense and Education Fund
Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA)
via University of Minnesota School of Social Work
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV)
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges: Family Violence and Domestic Relations
National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI)
National Domestic Violence Hotline
U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs: Family Violence
U.S. Dept. of Justice: Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
U.S. Dept. of Justice: Office on Violence Against Women
Ujima: The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community

Navigating University of Baltimore Law Library's Collection

Books can also help you start your research. They can be narrowly focused or they can show an overall picture of a general topic. Search the Discovery Service on the UBLL web page in order to find books on your topic. Unless you are searching for a specific title, search by subject. . The advanced search link on the right side of the Discovery section is the best way to start a search. Google Books is also a good resource. The database Worldcat offers access to books cataloged by an international list of libraries and it is an excellent way to create a bibliography.

Whether seeking print or online materials, here are some tips for using the online catalog:

Helpful call number ranges:

KF 479 (Children--Legal status)
KF 501 - 554 (Domestic relations)
KFM 1294 - 1306 (Maryland domestic relations)

Helpful subject headings:

N.B. The online catalog employs the phrases "domestic relations" instead of "family law."

Maryland Family Law Organizations

Baltimore County Md. Circuit Court - Family Law Resources
Maryland Association for Justice, Inc.--Family Law Section
The Family Law Section facilitates the exchange of knowledge and information among attorneys who represent parties in all types of family law matters, including divorce, custody, child support, alimony, domestic violence and adoption.
Maryland Attorney General: Safeguarding Children
Maryland Child Support Services
The Maryland Child Support Administration (CSA) works with both parents to provide the financial, medical and emotional support their children need to grow and thrive.
Maryland Collaborative Law Association
A group of lawyers, mental health therapists, CPA, financial planners and mortgage professionals who practives collaborative law as a viable alternative among the various forms of resolving disputes
Maryland Department of Family Administration, Administrative Office of the Courts
Responsible for assisting Maryland's courts in developing a comprehensive family law system.
Maryland State Bar Association, Family and Juvenile Law Section
Note: Some resources are restricted to section members, e.g. forms
National Military Family Association
The National Military Family Association is the leading non-profit organization focusing on issues important to military families. We believe that all military families deserve comprehensive child care, accessible health care, spouse employment options, great schools, caring communities, a secure retirement, and support for widows and widowers
People's Law Library of Maryland
A legal information and self-help website maintained by the Maryland State Law Library

Additional Research Guides

Child Support Calculator
Child support in Maryland (Department of Human Services)
GlobaLex's Transnational and Comparative Family Law: Harmonization and Implementation
Grandparents raising grandchildren: a call to action (Administration for Children and Families)
Legal Rights in Marriage & Divorce in Maryland
Put together by the Women's Law Center of Maryland, Inc.
Family Law Guide by University of Texas's Tarlton Law Library
A guide to secondary, primary, and interdisciplinary sources on family law, including selected resources on domestic violence and juvenile justice.
Additional Information and Help less...
Reminder that links may not work properly from another academic institution's research guide. You should locate the resources in our A-Z List of Databases.