Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers

Date	Event Title & Information
October 10 - 11, 2010	Twenty Second Annual Symposium on Family Law - Sponsored by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers - Ohio Chapter. Location: Marriott Northwest Hotel, 5605 Blazer Parkway, Dublin, Ohio 43017. Online hotel information and reservations are available by CLICKING HERE! The seminar brochure will be available in July.

Fellows of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers are recognized for having advanced skills in the practice of family law. To be considered for admission, a lawyer must be an experienced practitioner with a significant proportion of his or her practice in the area of family law. Applicants must complete a detailed application describing significant matters in which they acted as counsel. They must obtain recommendations from their peers, opposing counsel, and members of the judiciary. They must pass a national examination pertaining to all aspects of family law, including taxation, federally enacted statutes and international conventions. Members of the Ohio Chapter are elected to two-year terms to fill the offices of president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer to oversee the Chapter's operations. Fellows are appointed to various committees that are formed to accomplish the Chapter's commitment to improving the practice of family law and enhancing the welfare of families. The national organization's website can be accessed with the following link: http://www.aaml.org.

Purpose:
To encourage the study, improve the practice, elevate the standards and advance the cause of matrimonial law, to the end that the welfare of the family and society be protected.

Areas of Expertise:
Divorce, dissolution of marriage, legal separation, annulment, prenuptial agreements, allocation of parental rights and responsibilities, shared parenting, parenting time, property valuation and division, identification of marital and separate property, and spousal and child support.

Qualifications for Membership:

• Be recognized by the bench and bar in his or her jurisdiction as an expert practitioner in matrimonial law.
• Admitted to bar 10 years, 75 percent specialization in matrimonial law, but subject to exception in certain geographic areas and other exceptional circumstances.
• Have state family law certification if it exists. Where it doesn't exist, must have completed 15 hours of continuing legal education in each of previous five years.
• Pass oral or written examination on wide-ranging issues pertaining to matrimonial and family law.
• Be interviewed by a state board of examiners as well as be passed upon by other matrimonial law practitioners in the state.
• Aspire to the ethical standards set forth in the "Bounds of Advocacy" as well as state bar rules of professional conduct.
• Demonstrate involvement in study or improvement of matrimonial law, such as publishing articles or continuing education presentations.