Barbara Atwood
Professor Atwood is the Mary Anne Richey Professor of Law Emerita and Co-Director of the Family and Juvenile Law Certificate Program at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. After graduating from the University of Arizona College of Law in 1976, she clerked for the late Mary Anne Richey, United States District Judge for the District of Arizona, and then worked as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. She taught at the University of Houston Law Center from 1981 to 1986 and returned to Arizona to join the University of Arizona law faculty in 1986. Professor Atwood's scholarship explores topics at the intersection of civil procedure and family law, with a particular focus on issues of voice and representation for marginalized groups. She has spoken at national and international conferences on child representation, child's voice, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and private ordering in family law. Her books include Children, Tribes, and States: Adoption and Custody Conflicts Over American Indian Children (2010) and A Courtroom of Her Own: The Life and Work of Judge Mary Anne Richey (1998). Professor Atwood was appointed to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in 2006 by then-Governor Janet Napolitano and continues to serve as a Uniform Law Commissioner. She is currently the chair of the Joint Editorial Board for Uniform Family Laws and was an Adviser on the ALI’s Restatement of Children and the Law project. Professor Atwood was appointed Judge Pro-Tem of the Tohono O'odham Nation in 2013.
Representative Publications
- Standing Matters: Brackeen, Article III, and the Lure of the Merits, 23 J. App. Pract. & Pro. 105 (2023).
- Cohabitants’ Economic Remedies: The U.S. Approach, 45 Hous. J. Int’l L. 191 (2022) (with Naomi Cahn).
- Third-Party Custody, Parental Liberty, and Children's Interests, 43 FAM. ADVOCATE 48 (2021) (Issue 4).
- Marriage as Gatekeeper: The Misguided Reliance on Marital Status for Third-Party Standing, 59 Fam. Ct. Rev. 971 (2020).
- The New UFLAA: Providing Needed Standards for Efficiency and Fairness, 39 Family Advocate, Spring 2017, at 38.
- Hard Facts, Muddled Law: Deciphering the Baby Veronica Decision, 93 B.U. L. Rev. Annex 3 (2013).
- A New Uniform Law for Premarital and Marital Agreements, 46 Fam. L.Q. 313 (2012) (co-author, with Brian H. Bix).
- Marital Contracts and the Meaning of Marriage, 54 Ariz. L. Rev. 11 (2012).
- Representing Children Who Can't or Won't Direct Counsel: Best Interests Lawyering or No Lawyer at All?, 53 Ariz. L. Rev. 381 (2011).
- Children, Tribes, and States: Adoption and Custody Conflicts Over American Indian Children (2010).
- Achieving Permanency for American Indian and Alaska Native Children: Lessons from Tribal Traditions, 37 Capital U. L. Rev. 239 (2008).
- The Voice of the Indian Child: Strengthening the Indian Child Welfare Act Through Children's Participation, 50 Ariz. L. Rev. 127 (2008).
- Complete List of Publications
Education
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J.D. University of Arizona1976Graduation with Highest Distinction, Order of the Coif
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B.A. Mary Baldwin College1969Graduation with Honors
Admitted to Practice
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Arizona
Work Experience
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Mary Anne Richey Professor of Law EmeritaJames E. Rogers College of Law2011 - present
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Mary Anne Richey Professor of LawJames E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona1998 - 2010
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Associate DeanUniversity of Arizona College of Law1989 - 1991
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Acting Associate DeanUniversity of Arizona College of Law1988 - 1989
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Professor of LawUniversity of Arizona College of Law1986 - 1998
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Assistant Professor of LawUniversity of Houston Law Center1981 - 1986
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Visiting Associate ProfessorUniversity of Arizona College of Law1980 - 1981
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Trial Attorney, Civil Rights DivisionU.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.1978 - 1979
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Law ClerkHon. Mary Anne Richey, U.S. District Court, Tucson, Arizona1976 - 1978
Organizations
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Fellow, American Bar Foundation2003 - present
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International Society of Family Law2001 - present
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Association of American Law Schools, Family and Juvenile Law SectionExecutive Committee1989 - 1990Chair1988Vice-Chair1987
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Arizona State Bar1976 - present
Public & Institutional Service
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President, Arizona Association of Family and Conciliation Courts2012
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Member, Board of Directors, Arizona Family and Conciliation Courts2009 - 2012
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Arizona Supreme Court Admission on Motion Task Force2009
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Member, Academic Advisory Committee to ABA Standing Committee on Federal Judicial Improvements2007 - 2009
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Commissioner, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws2006 - present
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Reporter, Uniform Representation of Children in Abuse, Neglect, and Custody Proceedings Act, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws2004 - 2007
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Member, Arizona Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission2001 - 2007; Vice-Chair, 2005; Chair, 2006
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Member, United States Magistrate Judge Selection Committee for the District of Arizona1997
Awards
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University of Arizona Alumni Association Extraordinary Faculty Award2011
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John Strong Teaching Award and SBA Teacher Of the Year2011
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Leslie F. and Patricia Bell Faculty Service Award2010
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Arizona Women Lawyers Association Alice Truman Award2009
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Graduate College Graduate and Professional Education Teaching and Mentoring Award2004
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Sarah Sorin Award, Arizona Women Lawyers Association2004
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Leslie F. and Patricia Bell Faculty Award2001
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YWCA Women on the Move Award1998
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Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Arizona College of Law1998
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Soroptimists Women Helping Women Award1998
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Study Grant, Arizona Humanities Council1993, 1992
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Sarah Weddington Award, Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona1989