Family law

Family law is an area of the law that deals with family related issues and domestic relations including:

• The nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships.
• issues arising during marriage, with spousal abuse, legitimacy, adoption, surrogacy, child abuse, and child abduction.
• The termination of the relationship and ancillary matters including divorce, annulment, property settlements, alimony, and parental responsibility orders (in the United States, child custody and visitation, child support and alimony awards).

This listing is by no means dispositive of the possible issues that come through the family court structure. In many jurisdictions in the United States, the family courts see the most crowded dockets. Litigants delegate of all social and economic classes are parties within the system.

For the difference of laws elements dealing with transnational and interstate issues, see marriage (conflict), divorce (conflict) and nullity (conflict).

Family Law may also refer to the marriage contract in Islamic faith, which includes the allowance of men to marry up to four wives.