Family Law — what you actually need to know
This program covers the practical side of family law: divorce filings, custody arrangements, property division, and the pension and retirement benefit issues that courts routinely decide. We've been running these workshops since 2014. The material reflects real case patterns, not just statute text — so you leave with knowledge you can actually use when situations get complicated.
Six focused areas that reflect how family law actually works
Each module addresses a specific situation people face — not abstract theory. You'll work through realistic scenarios drawn from actual case patterns, covering everything from initial filings to contested retirement benefit claims.
Divorce Procedures & Filing Requirements
Covers contested vs. uncontested filings, required documentation by state, service of process, and common procedural errors that delay cases. You'll practice completing actual court forms used across different jurisdictions.
Core moduleCustody Arrangements & Parenting Plans
Legal vs. physical custody distinctions, how courts evaluate best-interest standards, and what makes a parenting plan enforceable. Includes exercises on drafting modification requests when circumstances change.
Core moduleMarital Property & Asset Division
Community property vs. equitable distribution states, how courts treat separate property claims, valuation timing disputes, and the documentation required to support your position. Includes real property and business interest scenarios.
Core modulePension Legal Services & Retirement Benefits
This is one of the more technically demanding areas. You'll learn how QDROs work, what pension lawyers look for when reviewing plan documents, and how retirement legal advice differs depending on whether assets are defined-benefit or defined-contribution plans.
Specialist focusPension Dispute Lawyer Strategies
Walks through the common grounds for pension disputes in divorce — plan administrator errors, incorrect valuation dates, survivor benefit elections, and how pension claim help actually gets structured when parties disagree on the numbers.
Specialist focusSocial Security & Federal Retirement Programs
Social security lawyer considerations in marital dissolution, including spousal benefit eligibility rules, the 10-year marriage requirement, and how pension law assistance intersects with federal benefit programs that most state practitioners handle inconsistently.
Specialist focusInstructors who work pension and retirement cases alongside teaching
Both instructors currently take client work in family law — meaning the retirement benefits lawyer and pension rights lawyer concepts they teach come from ongoing casework, not just course prep. When the QDRO rules changed, they updated the curriculum within weeks. That responsiveness reflects how the program has operated since 2014.
Declan Harrity
Lead Instructor — Retirement & Pension Law
Practices family law with a focus on high-asset divorce and pension dispute resolution. Has handled over 200 QDRO filings and consults on pension case legal support for firms across four states.
Brigid Falvey
Instructor — Custody, Property & Federal Benefits
Former legal aid attorney who now splits time between private practice and teaching. Her work on social security lawyer issues in contested divorce gave the federal benefits module its real-world grounding.
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