June 16, 2016
Non-Adversarial Divorce, An Even Better Option in Light of Court Budget Cuts
“State Budget Cuts Force Courthouse Closures” reads a June 14, 2016 Hartford Courant headline.
Judicial Department officials have already announced that four courts will be closing this year. And there may be more to follow.
But even more concerning for divorcing couples in Connecticut is the main reason for the closings-hundreds of jobs in the court system are being eliminated due to State budget cuts and there aren’t enough staff members to keep them running.
According to Patrick L. Carroll III, Chief Court Administrator, “It is unfortunate that these courthouse closings must occur… They will be disruptive and will impact many people. I want to stress that the closure of courthouses is not driven by savings generated by closing the facilities. Rather, these closing are required because of the loss of staff, through attrition, a strict hiring freeze and layoffs that have already been announced.”
Fewer State Marshals to control courthouse entry, patrol hallways and monitor the courtrooms. Fewer clerks to assist the public, judges and lawyers, process paperwork and staff courtrooms. Fewer court reporters, who must be present in the courtroom whenever court is in session. And especially important to divorcing couples, fewer family relations officers to mediate divorces and custody disputes, conduct custody evaluations, and intervene in family violence matters.
Why would you want to leave decision making about your divorce, your finances or your children to the court system, especially when you don’t have to?
Create arrangements that are best suited to your family instead of competing with others for valuable but limited and shrinking court resources. Contact a trained experienced divorce mediator or collaborative divorce lawyer today.
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