Diane Abbey Law Institute for Children and Families

The Diane Abbey Law Institute for Children and Families, founded by Diane Abbey and directed by Professor Lisa F. Grumet, provides a range of opportunities for students interested in learning about or practicing children’s and family law issues to engage in policy research and advocacy, individual client representation, and writing. Graduates from New York Law School have pursued family law careers with government agencies and nonprofit organizations and in private practice. The Abbey Institute is part of the Wilf Impact Center for Public Interest Law.

The Abbey Institute partners with the American Bar Association’s Family Law Section to produce the Family Law Quarterly (FLQ), a scholarly journal that the ABA has published for more than 50 years. New York Law School students serve as editors of the publication.

Through its Marriage License Project, the Abbey Institute provides free legal services to individuals who were denied a marriage license because they are victims of identity theft. In these cases, someone else fraudulently used the individual’s name to get married. Students interview clients and prepare administrative appeals. When a hearing is ordered, students deliver opening and closing statements, examine witnesses, and introduce exhibits.

The Abbey Institute also contributes to New York Law School events on children’s and family law topics, and works with student-run organizations for students interested in family law.

NYLS has many clinical and doctrinal course offerings for students interested in children’s and family law.

About Diane Abbey

Diane L. Abbey is Founder of the Diane Abbey Law Institute for Children and Families at NYLS. She taught English as a Second Language at Theodore Roosevelt High School in the Bronx. After leaving teaching to raise two children of her own, Mrs. Abbey continued to work to better the lives of other children and families. As an educator for Planned Parenthood, she spoke at schools, substance abuse centers, and after school programs. She served on the Capital Campaign committee for New Alternatives for Children, an organization that provides a range of social services for disabled children and their families. There, she was instrumental in establishing the agency’s volunteer corps. Mrs. Abbey has served on numerous boards, including that of the Brotherhood Synagogue, where she was actively involved in the campaign to restore the 1859 Friends Meeting House, which now houses the synagogue.

Resources

The Abbey Institute publishes educational material, as well as research and writing, related to its symposia and conferences. View these publications in NYLS’s Digital Commons archive.

The Institute also provides resources in the areas of child welfare, domestic violence, education, juvenile justice, and mental health to students. Find these resources on the NYLS Portal.

Related Courses

Family Law Journal — Editorial Staff

In this co-curricular course, NYLS students are responsible for editing and source-checking each article that is selected for publication in The Family Law Quarterly (FLQ).