NBTA Family Trial study guide
NBTA Family Trial · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
NBTA board certification in Family Trial Law is a specialty credential offered by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, which describes itself as a National Board Certifying Organization accredited by the American Bar Association. It is aimed at experienced family law litigators who try contested matters - divorce, custody, support, property division, and related disputes - and who want peer-reviewed, tested recognition of courtroom skill rather than a general practice certificate. Family Trial Law is one of the specialty areas listed by the organization; the source page does not publish a detailed subject-matter blueprint, so candidates should treat the exam as a trial-practice assessment built around evidentiary foundations, case theory, witness handling, ethical candor, and persuasion, and should confirm scope and format directly with the organization. The current cycle lists an examination on Saturday, November 7, 2026, with registration closing Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 11:59 pm, and mandatory mock exams open October 14–24, 2026; a Spring 2027 sitting is listed for Saturday, May 1, 2027. Preparation should combine mastery of your jurisdiction's family law and evidence rules with timed practice under exam conditions, and the mandatory mock exam should be treated as a non-negotiable rehearsal. Applicants in Florida and Texas should read the eligibility warnings before applying. Topics on this exam: Family Trial Law. The NBTA Family Trial study guide has 1 section and about 421 words.
01Family Trial Law
This section covers Family Trial Law, the domain in which the NBTA family trial exam tests both substantive family law and the trial skills needed to prove a family case. Expect questions on jurisdiction, custody, support, property, evidence, ethics, and courtroom procedure, with an emphasis on applying rules to fact patterns rather than reciting statutes. Subject-matter jurisdiction: custody is governed by the UCCJEA; initial jurisdiction generally rests in the child's home state, with emergency and modification exceptions. Custody: the court applies the best-interests standard, weighing statutory factors such as stability, caretaking, each parent's involvement, the child's needs, and domestic violence.
421 words, about 2 minMore study resources for NBTA Family Trial
- Practice questionsIn a family law trial, which standard of proof generally applies when a party asks the court to terminate parental rights?
- FlashcardsPreponderance of the evidence. The default burden in most family-law cases, meaning the claim is more likely true than not, typically expressed as greater than 50 percent probability.
- Cheat sheetBurden of proof: preponderance of the evidence governs most family-law issues (custody, property division, dissolution grounds); clear and convincing evidence is required for termination of parental rights and, in many jurisdictions, for rebutting the presumption of legitimacy.
- Key termsPetition for Dissolution of Marriage. The initial pleading that starts a divorce case, identifies the spouses and any children, states the grounds, and requests the relief sought, such as property division, support, and custody.
- Study planMap the full Family Trial Law domain into a written topic outline covering marriage and divorce grounds, property division, spousal and child support, custody and parenting time, and procedure.
- Common mistakesCandidates memorize one overarching standard during early study and then apply it mechanically to every sub-issue, because family trial law is taught first as a single civil standard; the exceptions are learned later and are less rehearsed.
- Exam-day guideBring the original, unexpired ID in the name you registered under.