It's come to this said state, due to the $50 Million Dollar cut in funds to the New Jersey Judiciary, our county, Hunterdon, will be reduced to just one judge for all family-related matters. Judge Ann Bartlett announced from the bench this morning that due to the appointment freeze on judges, and the retirement of a county judge at the end of the month, she will not have the ability to conduct trials or evidentiary hearings. She said it would be two weeks before she would be able to schedule a trial. I suspect that it will be longer, and the stress to litigants due to this delay will be tremendous.
This situation effects only this county, but the drastic step taken to cut spending may be repeated in other counties, and perhaps other states. If so, couples must consider whether they will even be able to obtain a resolution of their divorce from the courts in a reasonable period of time. Therefore, now, more than ever, collaborating resolutions (or mediation/arbitration) to family disputes may be a necessity due to the current economic turmoil.
The courts will always find the time to give attorneys time to present a settled case, usually taking us fifteen minutes. At least in Hunterdon County, for the foreseeable future, traditional litigation will not only be expensive but may not lead to a timely resolution of your divorce.
There is a better way to divorce-- through collaboration. What was created by Stu Webb, Minnesota, in 1990 is now practiced in Canada and Europe. The reason is simply because people understand that this method of divorcing makes the most sense, especially today.
BE ADVISED that these comments are not legal opinions and are not to be relied upon as legal advice. If you need legal advice, contact your county bar association; most of which have referral services. If you desire a collaboratively trained and certified attorney, go to http://www.collaborativepractice.com/
© Kevin M. Kilcommons, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
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