Main content

Records of the Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution: Analysis and Recommendations

Notifications

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]3460 Chestnut Street, Biddle Law Library, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3406

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

The "Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution: Analysis and Recommendations" was the American Law Institute's first comprehensive work in the field of family law. The project as a whole comprises six principal parts: Child Custody; Child Support; Division of Property at Dissolution; Compensatory Payments (formerly known as alimony); Domestic Partners; and Agreements. Mark Ellman served as Chief Reporter.

The Records of the Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution include correspondence, meeting materials, drafts, grant material, project proposal material, and other records related to the Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution project, published in 2002. The collection spans the years 1985 to 2000 and is organized chronologically into two series: Drafts and Administrative files.
Series I: Drafts, 1990-2000, contains Preliminary Drafts (PD), Council Drafts (CD), and Tentative Drafts (TD) created for discussion at American Law Institute meetings.
Series II: Administrative files , 1985-1997, contains correspondence, grant application materials, and meeting materials which includes documents organizing the first meeting concerning the project, the Wingspread Conference, where the American Law Institute gathered Family Law field professionals to draft the initial report for the project.

  1. Drafts
  2. Administrative Files

Received from American Law Institute Headquarters in 2001.

Processed by Jordon Steele, September 2009. Reprocessed by Abigail Boyer, 2024

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library
Finding Aid Author
Jordon Steele; Abigail Boyer (2024)
Finding Aid Date
2009; revised 2024
Access Restrictions

The archives reserves the right to restrict access to materials of sensitive nature. Please contact the department for further information.

Use Restrictions

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Collection Inventory

Preliminary Draft (PD) 1: preliminary outline, chapter 1, and chapter 2, October 12, 1990.
Box 1 Folder 1
Preliminary Draft (PD) 2: Chapters 3, 4, and 7, September 25, 1991.
Box 1 Folder 2
PD 3: Chapters 3, 7, 4, and 5, September 15, 1992.
Box 1 Folder 3
PD 4: Chapters 3-5, September 9, 1993.
Box 1 Folder 4
Council Draft (CD) 1 Chapters 3-5, November 22, 1993.
Box 1 Folder 5
Council Draft (CD) 2 Chapters 4-5, November 16, 1994.
Box 1 Folder 6
Tentative Draft (TD) 1 Chapters 1, 4, and 5, March 15, 1995.
Box 1 Folder 7
PD 5: Chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5, May 11, 1995.
Box 1 Folder 8
CD 3 Chapters 4-5 and Memo regarding fault in marital dissolution, October 4, 1995.
Box 1 Folder 9
Tentative Draft (TD) 2 Chapters 1,4, and 5, March 14, 1996.
Box 1 Folder 10
PD 6: Chapters 1, 2, 4, and 5, August 8, 1996.
Box 1 Folder 11
Proposed Final Draft Part 1 Chapters 1, 4, and 5, February 14, 1997.
Box 1 Folder 12
PD 7 Volume 1: Chapter 3, June 9, 1997.
Box 1 Folder 13
PD 7 Volume 2: Chapter 2, June 9, 1997.
Box 2 Folder 1
CD 4 Volume 1 Chapters 1-2, September 26, 1997.
Box 2 Folder 2
CD 4 Volume 2 Chapter 3, September 26, 1997.
Box 2 Folder 3
TD 3 Part 1 Chapters 1-2, March 20, 1998.
Box 2 Folder 4
TD 3 part 2 Chapter 3 and appendix, April 8, 1998.
Box 2 Folder 5
PD 8: Reporters memorandums and Chapters 2, 3, and 6, June 12, 1998.
Box 2 Folder 6
CD 5 Chapters 6, 3, 2 and 4, October 6, 1998.
Box 2 Folder 7
PD 9: Chapters 7, 6, and 2, September 30, 1999.
Box 2 Folder 8
CD 6 Chapters 7, 6, 5, 2, and 3, November 19, 1999.
Box 2 Folder 9
TD 4 Chapters 2-7, April 10, 2000.
Box 2 Folder 10

Correspondence and Documents, 1985.
Box 2 Folder 11
Project funding proposals, 1985-1989.
Box 2 Folder 12
State Justice Institute Grant Application Materials, 1988-1989.
Box 2 Folder 13
Wingspread conference, July-September 1989.
Box 2 Folder 14
November 1989 meeting materials, July-November 1989.
Box 2 Folder 15
January 1990 meeting materials, October 1989-January 1990.
Box 2 Folder 16
State Justice Institute grant application budget proposal, 1989.
Box 2 Folder 17
State Justice Institute Grant Application Materials, 1989-1991.
Box 2 Folder 18
Project Abstract and Narrative, 1989-1991.
Box 3 Folder 1
Conference on the Law and Public Policy of Family Dissolution, January 4, 1990.
Box 3 Folder 2
November 1990 meeting materials, 1990.
Box 3 Folder 3
Correspondence, 1992-1997.
Box 3 Folder 4
Correspondence, 1993-1995.
Box 3 Folder 5

Print, Suggest