Basic Information

OFFICE HOURS: Mondays and Wednesdays before class (approximately 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) in the classroom. Other times by appointment arranged via telephone or email.

CLASS MEETINGS: Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Classroom D. Due to Monday holidays, we have two Monday classes to make up. Rather than attempt to schedule make-up classes (which will certainly lead to other conflicts), we will make up the two classes by eliminating one of the two breaks in each of the remaining classes and by reducing the remaining break to 5 minutes. The balance of the time will be made up by continuing each class until approximately 9 p.m. and through a court visit/observation The single break will take place at approximately 7:15 p.m.

COURT VISIT/OBSERVATION: I plan to arrange for one or more times when students can visit the family court in either Clearwater or St. Petersburg (and possibly Tampa) to observe the proceedings and report back to the class. Days and times will be announced as the term progresses.

REQUIRED TEXT: Clark & Estin, Cases and Problems on Domestic Relations (Sixth Edition) published by West. Reading assignments from the case book will be posted on this site well in advance of each class meeting. A preliminary reading assignment list can be found on the Reading Assignments page on this site. That list may be changed or supplemented as we progress through the semester, so please check it frequently.

REQUIRED READINGS: In addition to the casebook, there will be other required material posted on the Reading Assignments page of this site. They will primarily be in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format. These materials will focus on Florida law (as the casebook has little Florida material, but is otherwise a good introduction to family law) and may also include materials of current interest from elsewhere in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Documents and links to other Web sites of interest will be posted on the Supplemental Information page of this site. These materials are not required, but will enhance you understanding of the subject matter of this course.

OUTLINES OF CLASS DISCUSSION/LECTURES: You will find in the Reading Assignments page of this site, along the right margin, links to download the PowerPoint presentations containing my class lecture notes/outline for each topic. These are subject to change at any time, so please make sure you download the current version before each class session. For those of you who don't have PowerPoint on your laptops, there is a free program that will allow you to open and edit PowerPoint files. It is part of the OpenOffice suite. You can download the suite at no charge. The suite also contains an Excel compatible spreadsheet program and a Word compatible word processing program. It is a viable alternative to the expensive Microsoft Office suite, but unfortunately does not have an email program like Outlook. If you only need to view PowerPoint's, but not edit them, Microsoft has a free PowerPoint viewer available for download.

Information on family court visit/observation: Judge Linda R. Allan of the 6th Judicial Circuit Court, Family Division, has agreed to allow students to observe trials in her courtroom on June 21, 22, 23, 27, and 29. You may choose any half day (morning or afternoon) on those dates to observe the proceedings. This court visit will be a make-up for one of the two Monday holidays this term. The other holiday will be made up by eliminating one of the two breaks during each class meeting. The morning court session typically runs from 9 a.m to Noon. The afternoon Session runs from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Start and end times are only estimates. Judge Allan's Judicial Assistant (JA), Jennifer, would like to know in advance approximately how many students to expect on each half day. As soon as you know when you will be attending, email me with the date and whether you will be there in the morning or the afternoon. We will set aside time during class on June 29th to discuss your experiences.

Judge Allan's courtroom is located in downtown St. Petersburg. She is in Rm. 211, 545 First Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

If you are working in the court system or for a law firm and will, as part of your employment, be able to observe a family court proceeding, that will substitute for the court visit I have arranged. If you intend to take this option, please email me with the basic information including judge observed, date, and type of proceeding (divorce, modification, domestic violence, etc.).

I will attempt to arrange for a court visit/observation in Tampa, but I cannot guarantee it. I will post information if this can be arranged.