Family Law and Personal Status
Core concepts
Family law governs marriage, divorce, maintenance, custody, and inheritance. Know the conditions for a valid marriage (consent, capacity, prohibited degrees), the types of divorce, and the rules on dower and maintenance. Custody questions turn on the child's best interests, and inheritance follows fixed shares plus residual rules.
Traps
Questions often confuse custody with guardianship; they are distinct legal relationships with different holders. Another trap is the interaction between dower and maintenance obligations. Watch for questions on whether a divorce requires registration to be effective.
Worked example
A mother seeks custody after divorce. The analysis starts with the best-interests standard, then checks the applicable custody rules and the child's age. Rule of thumb: identify the legal relationship (custody, guardianship, maintenance) before applying a rule.
Exam strategy
Separate personal-status issues from property consequences; each has its own rules and procedures.