PPC1 Family Law study guide
PPC1 Family Law · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Professional Practice Course (PPC) is the Law Society of Ireland's training programme for trainee solicitors, delivered through its Law School at Blackhall Place, Dublin 7. The Law Society describes itself as the regulatory, educational and membership body for Irish solicitors, and its Learning & CPD section lists the PPC among its qualification pathways, pointing trainees to resources that support study at the Law School. This page is an independent study aid for candidates preparing for the family law component of the PPC. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Law Society of Ireland, and it does not reproduce any official assessment material. The subject area covered here is Family & Child Law, one of the practice areas the Law Society organises guidance and resources under, alongside areas such as Conveyancing, Litigation, Probate, Administration & Trusts and Taxation. Expect questions on the legal framework governing family relationships and children in Ireland, the practical steps a solicitor takes when instructed in family matters, and the interaction between court process, negotiation and alternative dispute resolution. Topics on this exam: Family & Child Law. The PPC1 Family Law study guide has 1 section and about 442 words.
01Family & Child Law: Divorce, Financial Remedies and Orders About Children
Family & Child Law tests application, not sympathy: the ground for divorce, the orders available over money, and the orders that regulate children. Scenario questions reward the correct statute, the correct order name and the correct sequence of procedural steps. Divorce and dissolution have one ground - irretrievable breakdown - evidenced by a statement, not fault facts (Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020). Sole or joint applications run 20 weeks to the conditional order, then 6 weeks and 1 day to the final order.
442 words, about 2 minMore study resources for PPC1 Family Law
- Practice questionsUnder the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 (England and Wales), which ground must a petitioner establish to obtain a divorce?
- FlashcardsIrretrievable breakdown. The sole ground for divorce in England and Wales, proved by one of five facts: adultery, unreasonable behaviour, two years' desertion, two years' separation with consent, or five years' separation.
- Cheat sheetMarriage formation: consent, minimum age (18 in England and Wales, 16 in Scotland), prohibited degrees, and capacity; failure of a mandatory requirement makes the marriage void, breach of a directory requirement makes it voidable or non-marriage.
- Key termsPetition for Dissolution of Marriage. The initial pleading that starts a divorce case, stating the grounds, the parties, and what the petitioner wants the court to order regarding status, property, support, and children.
- Study planMap the full PPC1 Family Law syllabus into a one-page outline of every assessable topic area.
- Common mistakesCandidates learn a single headline figure early and never re-derive it, so they miss that the spouse's share changes with the class of surviving relatives and with the number of children.
- Exam-day guidePrint or download the confirmation the testing provider sent you.