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What to Expect in a Divorce Court

On Behalf of | Dec 20, 2019 | Uncategorized

Nerve-racking

Appearing in a court of law for a divorce case can be nerve-racking for anyone who isn’t familiar with courtroom processes. Your personal details will probably be shared before outsiders, and the judge may settle on certain rulings you don’t concur with.

If you’re facing a divorce, you should consider retaining a Tacoma Divorce Attorney from Alliance Law Group,  who can help you through the whole process. In this article, we discuss what to expect in the divorce court.

Temporary Orders Hearing in Divorce Court

You may need to show up in a courtroom for a temporary order hearing. Such a hearing addresses financial matters, parenting, utilization of property, and other issues that should be tended to before your divorce is finalized. Temporary orders are impermanent and will be replaced toward the case’s end with final orders. However, a poor outcome at the temporary orders hearing can bring issues later on.

During most Washington temporary orders hearings, the judge hears the contentions from the attorneys about the best course of action. For the most part, the side who asked for the hearing gets the opportunity to contend first. Attorneys do all the talking, and they don’t usually have much time, because the court ordinarily has numerous hearings to handle.

An excellent attorney will have proficient, elegantly composed, and well-contemplated documents for the judge to peruse before the hearing. Sometimes, both spouses may agree fully on the temporary orders. Here, the lawyers typically present the concurred orders to the judge for approval and don’t have to undergo a full hearing.

Divorce Court Review Hearing

After the passage of temporary orders, your spouse and you might undergo at least one review hearing. The review hearings:

  • Address different issues that can emerge all through your case
  • Update the court on the advancement of mandates actions
  • Update the court on how the temporary orders are working for you.

The review hearing will probably be fundamentally the same as the temporary orders hearing.

Extra Hearings

Likewise, you may have court hearings to tackle a spouse’s inability to obey orders. Or because conditions have changed and temporary orders should be adjusted to suit the new circumstances. The agenda for the additional hearings will be like those portrayed above, but they’ll be progressively centered on smaller issues.

Additionally, if a crisis emerges, e.g., the requirement for a restraining order, you might have the option to pursue “ex parte” relief. An ex parte is a hearing with minimal or no notification to a spouse or advance planning with the court.

Divorce Court Settlement Conference

Before heading to trial, you might need to attend a settlement conference, which is presided over by a judge. In general, the two of you will present your proposed resolutions and meet with a judge to attempt to reach an agreement.

In contrast to hearings or trials, settlement conferences are private and you’ll have a greater chance to talk yourself. When an agreement is reached in a settlement conference, your final papers should be submitted to the judge for approval and signing.

Heading To Trial

Most divorce cases do not reach trial. Be that as it may, if your case does head to trial, the appearance will be considerably more involved. You will surely need the representation of an experienced divorce lawyer.

In family law trials, a judge makes the decisions. Your spouse and you will get to call and address witnesses. The judge will also pose inquiries to get a full image of your conditions.

You may have expert witnesses in explicit fields e.g., financial analysts and parenting evaluators, or other general observers. Your spouse and you will also be witnesses in the court proceedings.

Contact Us

The trial may take from half a day to several weeks, contingent upon the issues. Toward the end, the judge will make a decision. The lawyers will typically then plan orders mirroring that decision. For more details on what to expect in divorce court, get in touch with a Tacoma Divorce Attorney from Alliance Law Group at 253-300-2055.