ABSTRACT
Narrative principles and practices enable courts to care for families. The family’s story provides the court with the context for the legal issues. Understanding this story facilitates decision-making that is both caring and just. Chapter 4 describes narrative theory and narrative practice. It discusses their relevance to legal advocacy and to family law decision-making. The chapter asserts that the essence of family law emanates from the stories families tell in court—that without attention to these accounts, family law jurisprudence is bereft of the care essential to achieving effective justice for families.
