FAMILY LAW EDUCATION REFORM PROJECT: A FACULTY PERSPECTIVE

The Family Law Education Reform Project Report calls for shifting the family law teaching paradigm from a focus on case‐based analysis toward a problem‐solving, interdisciplinary approach. This essay encourages law professors to take seriously this shifting teaching and learning paradigm. Aligning family law curriculum with the realities of practicing family law is a critical step in this process. This essay discusses the numerous intellectual challenges family law professors will face as they reflect on the proposed FLER Project curriculum.     

法治视野下的涉法信访工作

信访的制度性缺陷,使得涉法信访大量发生,公共信用和权威受到严重损害,从而动摇了国家法治的基础。在此情况下,以法治为内容的信访制度改革,是解决涉法信访问题的根本出路。而以社会主义法治理念为指导,进一步更新信访理念、规范信访事项、统一信访机构、完善信访机制,则是当前涉法信访工作的重点。     

REEVALUATING WHERE WE STAND: A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY OF AMERICA'S FAMILY JUSTICE SYSTEMS

The call for court reform remains critical in the face of the growing complexity of burgeoning family law cases nationwide. Many states have restructured their court systems using the unified family court model, resolving legal, personal, emotional, and social disputes with the aim of improving the well‐being of families and children. Other states utilize the traditional approach, resulting in cases being handled in a fragmented, time‐consuming and expensive manner. In this article, Professor Barbara A. Babb presents the results of her nationwide survey regarding how each state handles family law matters. The survey is a follow‐up to her comprehensive 1998 survey and her 2002 survey update. The results of the recent analysis reveal that a total of thirty‐eight states now have either statewide family courts, family courts in selected areas of the state, or pilot or planned family courts, representing seventy‐five percent of states. The number of states without a specialized or separate system to handle family law matters has decreased from seventeen states in 1998 to thirteen in 2006. These changes are significant when one considers the complexities involved in court reform. The need for court reform remains an urgent one, as family law cases occupy a significant percentage of court dockets across the country. Families and children deserve a court system where justice is effective and efficient and where their legal, personal, emotional, and social needs are resolved in a therapeutic and holistic manner.     

‘Working’ the international child protection case: a snapshot of local authorities’ experiences within an evolving legal context

Child protection proceedings often concern children with international connections. In recent years, the courts of England and Wales have handed down a number of significant judgments examining the application of international legal instruments (in particular Brussels IIa) to care proceedings. This article considers the impact of court judgments on the practical ‘working’ by Local Authorities of international child protection cases. A case study was conducted, oriented by socio-legal theory, consisting of a small number of qualitative interviews with Local Authority lawyers and social workers. The article concludes that some judgments have acted as a catalyst to change working practices for Local Authorities. However, international child protection cases present a variety of challenges for Local Authorities, and judgments provide an imperfect site for the provision of procedural and substantive guidance in this complex area. Further, there was often a tension between the need to conscientiously adhere to such guidance, and the welfare needs of the children with whom the Local Authority was concerned.     

试论中国亲属法哲学的发展方向——兼与徐国栋教授商榷

近年来,我国亲属法制建设与法学研究进入了比较繁荣的时期。但是,亲属关系的立法和亲属法基本原理的研究依然令人忧虑,有许多重大基本理论问题未能得以明晰。其主要原因在于,作为部门法哲学重要分支的亲属法哲学研究尚处于起步阶段,该研究领域还有许多等待开垦的荒地。由于基本原理中很多重大问题难以达成学术共识,导致目前亲属法的实践,尤其是司法解释和司法适用的法律实践存在诸多问题。本文从亲属法哲学的本体论层面,就亲属法的法律定位及调整对象等问题的学术论争提出了自己的观点,同时,就徐国栋教授的某些学术见解提出了不同意见。     

家产制与中国家庭法律的社会适应——一种“实践的法律社会学”分析

家产制作为一种习惯法,与中国的家庭法律及其社会适应性存在着密切关联。对家产制和家庭法律的研究应该采取实践的法律社会学态度,通过经验研究来充分展示转型社会对家庭本身的内在需求,从而在法律制度上对这种社会需求给于正确的回应。考察分家模式的历史变迁,可以发现家产制是处理中国家庭财产分配的根本制度选择。在产权结构上,家产制具有客体上的公有性、主体上的多元性以及主体作用于客体的身份性等三大特征,从而区别于西方所有权制度。这种特殊的家产制度是中国转型社会的内在需求,因为中国农村的城市化是一个长期的过程,而在这个过程中家产制有利于维护家庭的稳定从而有助于城市化的顺利进行;另外一方面,家产制有利于补充国家养老能力的不足从而确保城市家庭的稳定和再生产,提升国家的整体竞争力。然而家庭法律却日益朝着去家产制和私权化的方向发展,从而丧失社会适应性,不利于家庭和社会的稳定。因此,中国的家庭立法应该回归新的家产制,并以其为中心确立起发展型家庭法律体系。     

2001年婚姻法增补内容研究综述

我国于2001年修订颁布了《中华人民共和国婚姻法》,这是我国自建国后第二次修改婚姻法。2001年婚姻法增补的内容有深刻的立法背景及原因。但尚存争议,在实际操作中还需要不断地完善。     

德国婚后扶养制度研究

根据德国2008年修订后的有关法律,离婚配偶可以因为照顾共同子女、年老、疾病、失业、收入差距、接受教育等原因请求扶养费,也可以基于公平原则请求扶养。公平原则不仅本身可以作为扶养费请求权的基础,同时也是确定扶养费具体数额的标准。扶养费必须满足权利人全部的生活需要,同时兼顾婚姻中的生活状况。提供扶养费的前提是保证义务人自身的供养,以免其本身成为扶养请求权的权利人,同时还要扣除权利人本身的收入。如果扶养义务人同时向多人承担扶养义务,应该按照法律规定的顺位,优先满足未成年子女的扶养费。为了实现个案中的公平原则,德国2008年立法改革对于扶养请求权设定了限制,包括时间上的限制和数额上的限制。此外,为了达到公平的目的,法律规定了8种重大不公的情况,在这些情况下,扶养义务人可以免除其扶养责任。     

The French Constitutional Law of 23 July 2008 as seen by MPs: Working or Talking Parliament?

The French constitutional law of 2008 is, with the modification of 47 articles, the most important revision of the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, at least in quantitative terms. Surprisingly, there have been few attempts to evaluate the effects of the reform, whose official aim was to improve the status of the role of the (traditionally weak) French parliament. The purpose of this contribution is to analyse how MPs themselves judge this reform and its effects, especially on the role of the parliament and its everyday work. To do so we make use of the data of the LEGIPAR research project (September 2009–January 2011): 227 MPs answered closed and open questions about their perception of parliamentary work in face-to-face interviews. The data of the project DEPASTRA (2005–6) allow for a comparison with MPs' positions before the vote of the constitutional revision of 2008.