What is Family Law?
Family law is a practice area concerned with legal issues involving family relationships, such as adoption, divorce, and child custody. Attorneys practicing family law typically handle divorce, child custody, child support, and other related legal matters.
What 3rd level courses are available?
Universities and colleges in Ireland are offering courses in Family Law in the following subject areas:
- Diploma in Family Law – This course is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of family law in this jurisdiction and will examine recent cutting-edge developments in core areas of family law and practice.
- Family & Child Law – The aim of this course is to give the student a detailed understanding of the provisions of Irish law which impact the family.
- Legal Secretary: Family Law in Ireland – Learn about the role and tasks involved in working as a Legal Secretary in the Family Law department of a legal firm.
- Family Support Worker Training (QQI Level 5) – This Family support course is designed for those interested in learning the skills, knowledge, and competence that will aid them as a family support worker.
Studying Family Law in college
There are many courses in Family Law that may take place over a few days, weeks or even 1 year to 4 years depending on the course and modules selected. There are also part-time courses and night courses available so you can be sure to fit in your studies no matter what your schedule is like.
Courses will cover theory work through lectures, assignments, tutorials and taught modules. Assessments will take place on a continuous basis with written examinations and practical assignments combined in order to achieve a qualification. You could also consider work experience or a work shadow in the industry. Relevant work experience is a good way of demonstrating a genuine interest in the field and is regarded favorably by employers.
Work Experience will not only give you the opportunity to obtain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the industry, it will also give you a chance to do some essential networking with other industry professionals and gain valuable contacts for the future. A great way to qualify for a legal career without getting yourself into student debt is to apply for a law apprenticeship. Law apprenticeships exist in the form of government-backed, employer-designed ‘trailblazer’ schemes.
The majority of schemes enable you to carry out paid employment in a law firm or an in-house legal team while gaining professional qualifications. You’ll typically work 30 hours per week under the supervision of a mentor.
Career options
After completing a Family Law course you will be able to get started in a career that uses specific knowledge of the law, legal support and advice on a range of personal issues.
Solicitors take instructions from clients and advise on necessary courses of legal action. Once qualified, you can work in private practice, in-house for commercial or industrial organizations, in local or central government or in the court service. The actual work carried out varies depending on the setting, your specialist area and the nature of the case.
You may use some of your time to give free help to clients who are unable to pay for legal services themselves. This is known as pro bono work.
Working hours will depend on whether you are self-employed, employed by a company with set business hours or if you are contracted to various businesses or companies. Long working hours are common. During busy periods you’ll be expected to work 12-hour days and weekend work may be occasionally required. Solicitors in the largest firms tend to work unsocial, long hours on a regular basis.
Depending on the size of the firm, you may find it necessary to change employer in order to progress. Solicitors who develop a reputation in private practice may move to become in-house lawyers, often as a result of being headhunted.
Related jobs include:
- Arbitrator
- Barrister
- Barrister’s clerk
- Chartered legal executive
- Company secretary
- Lawyer
- Detective
- Licensed Conveyancer
- Paralegal
- Solicitor
- Social Worker
- Advice worker
- Border Force officer
- Civil Service administrator
- Forensic computer analyst
- Human resources officer
- Mediator
Further study
After completing a course in Family Law, you may choose to pursue further study in a specialist field to increase your knowledge base and skill set. Postgraduate study can also be used as a means to change career focus or to gain professional qualifications required to practise in certain career areas such as Social Work, Child Welfare and Mediation.
FAQ
What is the importance of Family Law?
Family law protects the rights and responsibilities of family members across a wide spectrum of situations. It is designed to be a framework that provides a basis for achieving fair and equitable results for all family members involved, whether they are adults or children.
What all do family lawyers do?
Most family law practices focus on representing clients in a divorce and the issues related to divorce such as the division of marital property, child custody and support, and alimony. Family lawyers also draft prenuptial and postnuptial agreements and litigate related matters.
Family law disputes that are handled in the judicial system include: divorce, separation, adoption, child custody, visitation rights, financial settlements and distribution of assets, domestic violence, guardianship, and child abuse and neglect.
Where can I study Family Law?
Explore your options here
Did You Know?
- In France it is legal to marry someone who is already dead. The vows remove the words “death do us part” and instead of the words “I do” they say “I did”.
- In Montana, USA you don’t even need to turn up to your own wedding. If you are in the military you can nominate someone else as your proxy to stand in for you at your wedding.
- In New York, you can sue a third person for being responsible for the breakdown of your marriage.
- In the Aleutian Islands, if a man grew tired of his wife he could barter her for food or clothes.
- In China the Jing people throw away the pen used to sign the divorce papers as they believe it contains bad luck.
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