Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships; issues arising during marriage, including spousal abuse, legitimacy, adoption, surrogacy, child abuse, and child abduction; the termination of the relationship and ancillary matters including divorce, annulment, property settlements, alimony, and parental responsibility orders (in the United States, child custody and visitation, child support and alimony awards).
Shelburne Falls is a census-designated place (CDP) in the towns of Shelburne and Buckland in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,951 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Notable features include the Bridge of Flowers, a former trolley bridge over the Deerfield River that is now maintained by the Shelburne Falls Women's Club as a floral display from April through October; and the glacial potholes of the Deerfield River. Bill and Camille Cosby are well known and admired residents of the area, though they keep a relatively low profile. The downtown is alive and well, including an independently-owned pharmacy with a soda fountain, one coffeeshop, several restaurants, two pizza joints, a bookstore, a newsstand, a grocery store, a natural foods store, and the candlepin Shelburne Falls Bowling Alley. A community newspaper, the West County Independent, serves Shelburne Falls and the surrounding towns. On the Shelburne side of town is the Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School, with over 200 students.