The inaugural holder of The Darald and Juliet Libby Chair, Professor Sanford N. Katz joined the Boston College Law School faculty in 1968 and teaches Family Law and Contracts. The Darald and Juliet Libby Chair is in honor of Michael G. Pierce, S.J.

Professor Katz has served as Chairman of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association, President of the International Society of Family Law and Editor-in Chief of the Family Law Quarterly. He is a member of various editorial boards of journals and, in addition to his published articles and books, has been the chief drafter of model child welfare legislation for the federal government. He is a Special Contributor and Consultant for Law for the Fourth Edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

EDUCATION

A.B., Boston University; J.D., University of Chicago; U.S. Public Health Fellow, Yale Law School.

RECENT ACTIVITIES

Presentations: “Managing Challenging Family Law Cases: Economic Consequences of Divorce,” National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Reno, NV, in September 2006.

Presented a paper on "Recent Developments in American Family Law" at the Law Faculty at the University of Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain and at the Law Faculty at the University of Girona in Girona, Spain, May 2006.

"Parenthood and the New Reproductive Technology," at the Annual Conference of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), Boston, Massachusetts, in July 2005.

"Marriage and Marriage-Like Relationships: Should They Be Equal?" at the World Conference of the International Society of Family Law, Oslo, Norway, in August 2005.

"Alternatives to Marriage and Their Economic Significance" and "Issues in Child Custody," at a NCJFCJ meeting, Reno, Nevada, in October 2005.

Appointments: Visiting Fellow, Pembroke College, Oxford, 2006.

Elected to the Executive Council of the International Society of Family Law at the organization’s world conference in August. Re-appointed American Associate of the Centre for Family Law and Policy at Oxford University, England. Named an international associate at the Family Law and Policy Center at Oxford University, in Oxford, England. Professor Katz is the only American law professor named to the research center. He was a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford in 1997 and a Visiting Fellow at Pembroke College, Oxford in 2000.

Activities: Spoke on developments at the Law School to chapters of the BC Law Alumni Association in Miami, Florida, and in Washington, DC, in March 2005.

Other: Recipient of the Special Service Award from the BC Law Alumni Association at Law Day in April. Named to the Scientific Committee of the International Society of Family Law World conference in 2005.

COURSES

Fall '09: Family Law Seminar
Spring '10: Family Law: Child, Parent, Stat; Family Law

• "Five Decades of Family Law." Family Law Quarterly 42 (2008): 245-307.
• "Protecting Children Through State and Federal Laws." In The International Survey of Family Law 2007, Bill Atkin, editor, 309-332. Bristol, UK: Jordan Publishing Limited., 2007.
• "In Memoriam - Robert F. Drinan, S.J., 1920-2007." Family Law Quarterly  40, no.4 (Winter 2007): ix-xiii.
• "Ensuring Fairness in Family Law." BC Law Magazine 15, no.2 (Spring/Summer 2007): 15.
• With Walter O. Weyrauch and Frances Olsen. 2007 Supplement: Cases and Materials on Family Law: Legal Concepts and Changing Human Relationships.  St. Paul, MN: ThomsonWest, 2007.
• "New Directions for Family Law in the United States: From Contract Cohabitation to Registered Partnerships and Beyond."  InDret:Revista para el análisis del derecho 2 (2007) Online only.
• "Homer H. Clarke, Jr., As Scholar." University of Colorado Law Review 78 (2007): 16-19. 
• “In Memoriam – Monroe L. Inker: 1925-2006.” Family Law Quarterly 40, no.1 (June 2006): ix-xi.
• Family Law in America: 2004 Supplement. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
• "Continuity of Relationships in Child Custody." International Survey of Family Law (2004): 491-499.
  Family Law in America. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
• With John Eekelaar and Mavis Maclean, editors. Cross Currents : Family Law and Policy in the United States and England. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2000. Chapter author for "Dual Systems of Adoption in the United States": 279-306; "Individual Rights and Family Relationships": 621-635.
• "Emerging Models for Alternatives to Marriage." Family Law Quarterly 33 (Fall 1999): 663-675.
• "Prologue." Family Law Quarterly 33 (Fall 1999): 435-445.
• "Domestic Partnership Laws." In The International Survey of Family Law 1997, edited by Andrew Bainham, 485-505. The Hague, Martinus Nijhoff, 1999.
• "Marriage as Partnership." Notre Dame Law Review 73 (May 1998): 1251-1274.
• "The United States: State Regulation and Personal Autonomy in Marriage: How Can I Marry and Whom Can I Marry?" In The International Survey of Family Law 1996, edited by Andrew Bainham, 487-504. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1998.
• "The Concept of the Family Court in America." In The Family Justice System: Past and Future Experiences and Prospects, edited by Ludwig Salgo, 35-45. Budapest, Collegium Budapest, Institute of Advanced Study, 1997.
• "Remembering Melba McGrath." Boston College Law School Magazine 5 (Fall 1996): 34.
• "The Judge and Child Custody Decision-making in the United States." In Frontiers of Family Law, edited by Andrew Bainham, David Pearl and Ros Picford, 187-194. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1995.
• With Walter O. Weyrauch and Frances Olsen. Cases and Materials on Family Law: Legal Concepts and Changing Human Relationships. St. Paul, MN.: West Publishing Co., 1994.
• "Historical Perspective and Current Trends in the Legal Process of Divorce." Future of Children 4 (Spring 1994): 44-62. (The David and Lucile Packard Foundation)
• Remarks (as Panelist) on "The Best Interests of the Child: A Re-Examination," for panel on "Parental Power, Children's Interests, and State Authority." In Changing Perspectives of the Family: Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Symposium of the Constitutional Law Resource Center, edited by Stanley Ingber, 97-124. Des Moines, IA: Drake University Law School, 1994.
• "In Memoriam: Doris Jonas Freed." Family Law Quarterly 27 (Fall 1993): vii-viii.
• Review of The Child's Attorney - Guide to Representing Children in Custody, Adoption, and Protection Cases, by Anne M. Haralambie. Family Law Quarterly 27 (Fall 1993) 481-483.
• "'That They May Thrive' Goal of Child Custody: Reflections on the Apparent Erosion of the Tender Years Presumption and the Emergence of the Primary Caretaker Presumption." Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy 8 (Spring 1992): 123-136.
• "Foreword." In Intervening in Child Sexual Abuse, edited by Kathleen Murray and David A. Gough, Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1991.
• With Jeffrey A. Kuhn. Recommendations for a Model Family Court: A Report from the National Family Court Symposium. Reno, NV: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, 1991.
• With Robert Horowitz and Claire Cunningham. Child Abuse and Neglect - 1991 Supplement. Chicago: American Bar Association, 1991.
• "Afterword." In Children's Rights in America: U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child Compared with United States Law, edited by C. P. Cohen and H. A. Davidson, 335-339. Chicago: American Bar Association, 1990.
• "Equitable Distribution in Massachusetts." Massachusetts Family Law Journal 6 (July 1988): 28-43.
• "Massachusetts Rejects Professional Degree as Property." Fairshare 7, no. 5 (May 1987): 15.
• Editor. Negotiating to Settlement in Divorce. Clifton, NJ: Prentice Hall Law and Business, 1987.
• "Some Reflections on Joint and Shared Custody." Massachusetts Family Law Journal 4 (May 1986): 1-3.
• "Introduction to Special Issue on Child Support Enforcement." Juvenile and Family Court Journal 36, no. 3 (Fall 1985): xi-xix.
• "Joint Custody." Comparative Law (Tokyo) 2 (1985): 29-33.
• "Family Law -- Mediation Is Coming of Age." National Law Journal, August 6, 1984, p. 25, 29-31.
• Foreword to Legal Rights of Children, edited by Robert M. Horowitz and Howard A. Davidson, v-vi. Colorado Springs, CO: Shepards/McGraw-Hill, 1984.
• With John Eekelaar, editors. The Resolution of Family Conflict: Comparative Legal Perspectives. Toronto: Butterworths, 1984.
• With Walter O. Weyrauch. American Family Law in Transition. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of National Affairs, 1983.
• "Family Law -- In a State of Constant Ferment." National Law Journal, August 1, 1983, p. 24, 55.
• "A Historical Perspective on Child-Support Laws in the United States." In The Parental Child-Support Obligation: Research, Practice, and Social Policy, edited by Judith Cassetty, 17-28. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1983.
• "Introduction to the 25th Anniversary Issue." Family Law Quarterly 17, no. 2 (Summer 1983): v-x.
• "Brigitte Bodenheimer -- Protector of the Children." University of California at Davis Law Review 16 (1982-1983), vii-xi.
• With Monroe L. Inker, Frances H. Miller, Walter O. Weyrauch, and Randall M. Chastain. "45 Landmark Decisions: Four Experts Look at the Most Significant Cases Handed Down during the Last Two Decades." Family Advocate 5 (Summer 1982): 32-39.
• " 'Marital Property' Broadening. " National Law Journal, August 9, 1982, p. 24-25.
• "Rewriting the Adoption Story." Family Advocate 5 (Summer 1982): 9-10.
• Child Snatching: The Legal Response to the Abduction of Children. Chicago: American Bar Association, 1981.
• "Equitable Distribution Continues to Make Gains." National Law Journal, August 10, 1981, p. 43.
• "Humanizing the Divorce Process." Family Advocate 4, no. 1 (Summer 1981): 63.
• "Legal Remedies for Child Snatching." Family Law Quarterly 15, no. 2 (Summer 1981): 103-147.
• Preparing and Trying a Custody Case. Videorecording. Chicago: ABA Consortium for Professional Education with the Section of Family Law, 1981.
• "Thomas Dean Cochran (obituary)." Family Law Quarterly 15, no. 2 (Summer 1981): v-vi.
• "Lydia Rapoport." In Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary - The Modern Period, edited by Barbara Sicherman and Carol Hurd Green, 568-69. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1980.
• With John M. Eekelaar, editors. Marriage and Cohabitation in Contemporary Societies - Areas of Legal, Social and Ethical Change: An International and Interdisciplinary Study. Toronto: Butterworths, 1980.
• "The Child and the Law: Freeing Children for Permanent Placement." In The Child in the City. Vol. 1, Today and Tomorrow, edited by William Michelson, Saul V. Levine, and Ellen Michelson, 143-169. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1979.
• With William A. Schroeder and Lawrence R. Sidman. "Emancipating Our Children - Coming of Legal Age in America." In Having Children - Philosophical and Legal Reflections on Parenthood, edited by Onora O'Neil and William Ruddnich, 327-350. New York: Oxford University Press, 1979.
• With Monroe L. Inker. Fathers, Husbands and Lovers - Legal Rights and Responsibilities. Chicago: ABA Section of Family Law, 1979.
• With Howard A. Davidson. Preface to Advocating for Children in the Courts, edited by the Staff of the National Legal Resource Center for Child Advocacy and Protection, i. Chicago: American Bar Association, 1979.
• "Proposed Legislation for Freeing Children for Permanent Placement." Child Abuse & Neglect - The International Journal 3 (1979): 31-34.
• With William Meezan and Eva Manoff Russo. Adoptions Without Agencies - A Study of Independent Adoptions. New York: Child Welfare League of America, 1978.
• With John M. Eekelaar. Family Violence - An International and Interdisciplinary Study. Toronto: Butterworths, 1978.
• "Freeing Children for Permanent Placement Through a Model Act." Family Law Quarterly 12, no. 3 (Fall 1978): 203-252.
• Editor. The Youngest Minority II: Lawyers in Defense of Children. Chicago: ABA Section of Family Law, 1977.
• "The Changing Legal Status of Foster Parents." Children Today 5 (November-December 1976): 11-13. (Also appears in Annual Progress in Child Psychiatry and Child Development 10 (1977): 749-755.)
• With Ruth-Arlene Howe and Melba McGrath. "Child Neglect Laws in America." Family Law Quarterly 9 (Spring 1975): 1-372. [Also appears as Child Neglect Laws in America by Howe, Katz, and McGrath. Chicago: ABA Section of Family Law, 1976.]
• With Lillian Ambrosino, Melba McGrath, and Kitt Sawitsky. "The Law on Child Abuse and Neglect: A Review of the Research." In Four Perspectives on the Status of Child Abuse and Neglect Research, 146-201. Washington, D.C.: National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children's Bureau, Office of Child Development, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1976.
• With Ursula M. Gallagher. "Subsidized Adoption in America." Family Law Quarterly 10 [Spring 1976]: 3-54. [Also appears as Subsidized Adoption in America, Updated August 1976, prepared for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Office of Human Development, Office of Child Development, Children's Bureau. Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1976.]
• Editor. Creativity in Social Work: Selected Writings of Lydia Rapoport. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1975.
• Introduction to In Search of Origins: The Experiences of Adopted People, by John Triseliotis. Boston: Beacon Press, 1975. Reprint. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1973.
• Introduction to Legal Rights of Children. New York: Arno Press, 1974.
• Editor. The Youngest Minority: Lawyers in Defense of Children. Chicago: ABA Section of Family Law, 1974.
• "Children - Individuals without Rights?" Student Lawyer 1, no. 6 (February 1973): 48-52.
• "Legal Problems of the Unwed Teen-age Mother and Her Child." In The Vulnerable: Crittenton's Concern, edited by Malvin Morton, 37-46. Chicago: Florence Crittenton Association of American, 1973.
• With William A. Schroeder. "Disobeying a Father's Voice: A Comment on Commonwealth v. Brasher." Massachusetts Law Quarterly 57 (March 1972): 43-57.
• "The Adoption of Baby Lenore: Problems of Consent and the Role of Lawyers." Family Law Quarterly 5, no. 4 (December 1971): 405-416.
• "Legal Aspects of Foster Care." Family Law Quarterly 5, no. 3 (September 1971): 283-302.
• When Parents Fail: The Law's Response to Family Breakdown. Boston: Beacon Press, 1971.
• "What a Priest Thinks of Abortion." Review of The Abortion Decision, by David W. Granfield. Sunday Herald Traveler, May 18, 1969, p. 15.
• "Adoption" and "Illegitimacy, U.S. Law of." In The New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 1, 136-38; vol. 7, 363. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.
• "A Symposium on Mental Health Concepts in Family Law: Introduction." Family Law Quarterly 1, no. 2 (June 1967): 61-63.
• "Foster Parents Versus Agencies: A Case Study in the Judicial Application of 'The Best Interests of the Child' Doctrine." Michigan Law Review 65 (November 1966): 145-170.
• Review of Children for Adoption, by Pearl Buck. Michigan Law Review 64 (February 1966): 756-763.
• Review of Wednesday's Children: A Study of Child Neglect and Abuse, by Leontine R. Young. Duke Law Journal, 1965, no. 1: 208-214.
• "The Wealth Position of the Aged in the Quest for Maintaining Over-all Well-Being." Institute of Gerontology Series 14 (1965): 37-43.
• "Community Decision-Makers and the Promotion of Values in the Adoption of Children." Social Service Review 38 (March 1964): 26-41. [Also appears in Journal of Family Law 4 (1964): 7-28.]
• Review of Family Law: Cases and Materials, edited by Morris Ploscowe and Doris Jonah Freed. Social Casework 45 (May 1964): 296-97.
• Review of Readings in Adoption, edited by I. Evelyn Smith. Harvard Law Review 78 (December 1964): 498-502.
• "Adoption." In Cases and Materials on Domestic Relations, edited by Dom David Granfield and Philip A. Ryan. Mineola, NY: Foundation Press, 1963.
• "Legal Protections for the Unmarried Mother and her Child." Children 10 (March-April 1963): 55-59.
• Review of Justice for the Child, edited by Margaret K. Rosenheim. Northwestern University Law Review 58 (July-August 1963): 435-441.
• Review of Society and the Law, by F. James Davis, Henry H. Foster, E. Eugene Davis and C. Ray Jeffery. Indiana Law Journal 38 (Winter 1963): 310-316.
• "Judicial and Statutory Trends in the Law of Adoption." Georgetown Law Journal 51 (Fall 1962): 64-95.
• Review of The Mentally Disabled and the Law, by Frank T. Lindmann and Donald M. McIntyre, Jr. Social Casework 43 (June 1962): 319-320.
• "The Lawyer and the Caseworker: Some Observations." Social Casework 42 (January 1961): 10-15.
• Review of Frederic William Maitland, Historian: Selections from his Writings, edited by Robert Livingston Schuyler. Georgetown Law Journal 49 (Summer 1961): 801-805.
• With Marcus G. Raskin. "The Dying Doctrine of Recrimination in the U.S." Canadian Bar Review 35 (November 1957): 1046-1059.