Family Law, Gender & Sexuality

The family is a basic social institution, and one whose definition continues to evolve and be challenged in this country and around the world. Political and legal battles over who belongs in a family have played out in almost every conceivable context, including healthcare, housing, marriage, and parenthood. 

BU Law offers courses that cover legal topics related to family matters and domestic relations, children’s rights, and the intersection of law with gender and sexual orientation. Foundational courses provide an overview of the case law, statutes, and constitutional underpinnings that shape the government’s role in regulating family life as well as the laws surrounding estate planning and inheritance. Advanced classes explore more in-depth topics such as critical race theory; gender, violence, and the law; reproductive justice; queer legal scholarship; and the taxation of trusts and fiduciaries.

JD and LLM students also have the chance to put some of what they’re learning into practice through the Civil Litigation & Justice Program, which houses three clinics touching on family, gender, and sexuality law: the Individual Rights Litigation Clinic, the Access to Justice Clinic, and the Employment Rights Clinic.