Going through a Divorce during Covid 19

Going through a divorce can be devastatingly stressful, but to go through one during a pandemic takes that stress to another level. Limited dockets and limited court room access have created a backlog in many hearings impacting parents' rights to visit their children, or getting financial support to the parent in need. Some unscrupulous litigants may take advantage of this situation by avoiding payments for child support and alimony or denying the other parent's access to the minor child. But for many, income (even with the assistance of umemployment benefits and stimulus checks) may not be sufficient for a laidoff parent to to make ends meet. Additionally due to quarantine restrictions on travel, parents may have a difficult time making travel arrangements to see thier children. Our courts have started utlizing WebEx hearings for short temporary matters, and opening up court rooms for emergency hearings such as domestic violence, but that still does not alieviate the parent needing to have substantial matters heard. For those types of cases, parties may need to think in terms of resolving their cases outside of court through the use of private mediators, consent orders and other collaborative practices for quicker results. Covid 19 has forced the Courts to change the way they conduct business, such as utilizing more electronic forms of communication. But the bottom line is maybe the once lucrative practice of being litigious no longer makes sense, and parties need to learn to work together to work out their differences without court involvement. If you are looking for an attorney who has experience in negotiating and resolving cases outside of court, contact our firm at the number listed on this site.