Do You Have to Show up at Your Family Law Court Matter?
There are many aspects that play a huge role in family law cases. For instance, your divorce may include a child support hearing, spousal support hearing, and your final divorce hearing. You or your spouse may have limitations that could make it difficult for either of you to attend these hearings, so we will explain whether or not you have to physically attend today.
The Child Support and Spousal Support Hearings
Most of the time, you and the other parent will submit all of your required paperwork that shows your finances before your child support hearing takes place. This is so that everything is taken care of in an orderly matter and ready to be assessed so that child support can be decided. Those who have already submitted this documentation may be able to opt out of physically appearing at the hearing, unless there are several questions a judge has for you in person.
Alimony, however, could be a bit more complicated. It is difficult to decide on how much alimony a spouse will pay from the very beginning, because there is really no formula to decide on specific payment. Though these cases can be complicated, you may not have to appear if you are being represented by an attorney. If the court wants you to appear and testify over any matters, you will have to.
Custody Matters
Typically, you will have to be there for your custody dispute. The judge in your case wants to gather as much information about you as possible before a decision is made. In fact, sometimes they will even include a custody evaluator into the case who has to talk to every involved party. The court could be mixed upon the decision of whether or not you should appear.
Divorce Case
The final divorce trial is a big one. The court wants to settle all of your issues when you are going through a divorce matter, which is why it is almost necessary for you to be there. If trial is necessary, you can expect to show up.
Even if you aren’t required to attend court for any one of these reasons, it’s important that you consider it depending on the circumstances. For instance, for matters involving your child, it may be best to appear and present your case, as your child’s well-being depends on it. Call us to find out more about how these cases work, their importance in your divorce, and what we can do for you.