Family Law Groups: Exercise 2 assignments

Group / Members / Client / Exercises
Armenia / Beel, Mason, Patel, Urs, Sonderling / MR / 2, 3 & 4
Bhutan / Cunningham, Hillis, Ziven, Zyskind / NOW / 1, 2 & 4
Eritrea / Donnelly, Bianchi, Edelstein, Tano / CWA / 1, 2 & 3
Gabon / Alouan, Bernstein, Bucelo, Nathanson, Strochlic / CR / 2, ,3, & 4
Kuwait / Reismann, Berg, Friedman, Gottlieb, Kalmanson / NOW / 1, 2, & 4
Moldova / Greenfield, Valdivia, Brennan, Holt / MR / 1, 2 & 3
Nauru / Cato, Desai, Morales, Sharon / FFF / 1, 2 & 4
Rwanda / Andreu, Laleh, Julca, Rippel / CWA / 1 2 & 3
Saint Kitts / Wojcik, Mallick, Richards, Prasad / CR / 2, 3 & 4
Tuvalu / Atkins, Levinson, Czarnik, Sutkin / FFF / 2, 3 & 4
Vanuatu / Bisaccia, Eisenband, Koppel / FFF / 1, 2 & 3
Chad / Casey, Berry, Suarez, Rengachari / NOW / 1, 2 & 4
Fiji / Landis, Louisa, Phetsanghane, Ainsworth, Wulwick / MR / 1,2 & 3
Palau / Schochat, Hershkowitz, Baselice / CWA / 1, 2 & 3

Translations:

NOW=Nat’l Org for Women

CWA=Concerned Women for America

MR=Men’s Rights Inc.

FFF=Families First of Florida

CR=Children’s Rights Inc

For this exercise, you are to assume that the Florida District Courts of Appeals have taken conflicting positions regarding when permanent spousal support is available. One court has held that spouses should generally be expected to move on to new lives after a marriage ends and to become self-supporting. It held that permanent support should only be available a) where marriages lasted at least twenty years and one of the spouses had been the dominant breadwinner, b) where marriages lasted at least five years and one of the spouses was disabled or otherwise clearly unable to be self-supporting even after the division of property, or c) where it was shown by clear and convincing evidence that there was a particular need for permanent support. Another rejected this and said the need for permanent support was a factual question and trial courts should be free to use their discretion to decide what was fair under the circumstances. The Florida Supreme Court has accepted certiorari on both these cases to resolve the conflict. The groups will file amicus briefs to the Supreme Court on behalf of one of the following organizations: National Organization for Women, ; Concerned Women for America, ; Men’s Rights, Inc. [an invented organization whose viewpoint is apparent from its name – one can get some sense of its perspectives at ], Families First of Florida, Inc. [an invented organization whose goal is to develop a family law that is clear and simple enough so that most cases can be settled without extensive litigation and family resources being eaten up in lawyers’ fees], and Children’s Rights, Inc.[an invented organization who goal is a system designed to protect the interests of children]. (those groups doing this assignment will be assigned to one of these clients).