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Domestic Relations Resource Guide

The Domestic Relations Resource Guide is a resource for Domestic Relations judicial officers. This guide follows the Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College Domestic Relations Judicial Officer Curriculum. It is intended to serve as a starting point in identifying relevant statutes, case law, and rules used in the practice of domestic relations law. There are active hyperlinks to these materials and other helpful resources incorporated throughout the guide.

  1. Termination of Marriage
    1. Concept of Marriage
    2. Validity of Marriage
    3. Common Law Marriage
    4. Service
    5. Divorce
    6. Dissolution of Marriage
    7. Annulment
    8. Legal Separation
  2. Property Division
    1. Determine "During the Marriage"
    2. Determine the Marital Estate: Marital Property vs. Separate Property
    3. Valuation of Assets
    4. Valuation of Debts
    5. Equal Division of Property Unless Inequitable
    6. Separation Agreements
    7. Bankruptcy
    8. Tax Considerations: Effect of Taxes on Property Division
    9. Practice and Procedure for Property Division
  3. Spousal Support
    1. Overview of Spousal Support
    2. Temporary Spousal Support (Pendente Lite)
    3. Establishment
    4. Modification and Enforcement
  4. Parenting
    1. Child Support
    2. Parental Rights and Responsibilities (PRR)
    3. Parentage
    4. Contempt
  5. Special Issues
    1. Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA)
    2. Overlap Duties With Domestic Relations and Other Courts
    3. Grandparents Caring for Their Grandchildren With and Without Agreement by the Parents
    4. Judicial Interviews of a Child
  6. Third Party Stakeholders
    1. Guardians ad Litem (GAL)
    2. Parenting Coordinators
    3. Custody Evaluators
    1. Domestic Abuse
      1. Specific Forms of Domestic Abuse
      2. Criminal Domestic Violence
      3. Three Main Contexts of Domestic Abuse
      4. Remedies to Address Domestic Abuse
      5. Allocation of Parental Rights and Responsibilities
      6. Relevance of Domestic Abuse to Domestic Relations Proceedings
      7. Obstacles to Obtaining a Full and Complete Understanding
    2. Allocation of Parental Rights and Responsibilities When Domestic Abuse is Present
      1. Use of Screening Tools and Lethality Assessments
      2. Screening for Domestic Abuse Is Different Than a Lethality Assessment
      3. Each Child's Experience, Perceptions, and Responses are Unique
      4. Understanding the Batterer in the Context of Parenting
      5. Identifying Abuse
      6. How to Understand Allegations
      7. Domestic Abuse and Custody Disputes
      8. Parenting Orders
      9. Use of Guardians ad Litem, Mediation, and/or Parenting Coordination When Domestic Abuse Is Present
      10. Parenting Coordination
    3. Domestic Violence and Protection Orders
      1. Jurisdiction and Venue
      2. Who May Seek Relief
      3. Special Statutory Proceeding
    Acknowledgments

    This guide was developed under the guidance and oversight of the Subcommittee on Family Reform Implementation to the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Children & Families. The Subcommittee and the Supreme Court wish to extend special recognition to the members of this workgroup who dedicated their time, experience, expertise, and energy to drafting this guide. The workgroup members are: Hon. Diane M. Palos (Chair), Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court; Hon. James Brown, Franklin County Domestic Relations/Juvenile Court; Mag. Deborah Drexler, Allen and Mercer County Courts of Common Pleas; Mag. Rosalind Florez (Ret.), Hamilton County Domestic Relations Court; Mag. Penny Gates, Clermont County Domestic Relations Courts; Eric Johnson, Sowald Sowald Anderson Hawley & Johnson; Mag. Laurie Koerner, Lake County Domestic Relations Court; Hon. Frank Janik, Lorain County Domestic Relations/Juvenile Court; Mag. C. William Rickrich, Licking County Domestic Relations Court; and Mag. Jennifer Svec, Wayne County Common Pleas Court.

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