A woman seeking a divorce has no idea of the family finances her husband doled out money only after she gave him requisition slips for her intended purchases. A lesbian couple wants to include their sperm donor in their child s life the sperm donor is the brother of one partner, so he will be the biological father as well as the child s uncle. These are the clients who come knocking on family lawyer Margaret Klaw s door, hoping for resolution. Keeping It Civil looks at hot-button issues, such as new reproductive technologies and gay marriage, through the lens of ordinary people seeking counsel. A case about a prenuptial agreement becomes a meditation on the financial independence of women. A father who sues for custody because his ex-wife sends their son to school in slippers offers a look at how a lawyer selects what is relevant when pleading a case, and how a judge determines what makes a good parent. We accompany Klaw as she negotiates with opposing counsel, prepares witnesses for testimony, sifts through legal precedents to develop her courtroom strategy, presents an argument to the judge, and keeps her clients in check. Like the medical observations of Atul Gawande and Oliver Sacks, these actual cases reveal our cultural biases and make for addictive reading, while offering a deeper understanding of what we talk about when we talk about family.
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