Who's In the Court Room?
One of the concerns I hear from clients as we are preparing for both contested and uncontested divorce hearing is who is going to be in the court room with us? Family Courts, except for cases like child abuse and neglect matters, are open to the public and that means any one could be sitting in on your hearing.The reality is that in nearly every case you will only find a handful of people in the courtroom with you:
- Family Court Judge
- Court Report - the person who is recording everything that is being said in the courtroom to keep an exact record of what is happening in there.
- Deputy/Bailiff
- Lawyers
- Parties
- Witnesses
That's pretty much it. Occasionally, a law student, newly minted lawyer, or paralegal student will be observing cases as part of a class assignment or bar requirement to practice.