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Tribulations and Expenses of a Marital and Family Law Trial in the Orlando, Florida Area

Marital and Family Law in the Orlando, Florida area encompasses Dissolution of Marriage (more commonly called Divorce), Paternity, Timesharing and Parenting Plan (also called Custody), Child Support, Alimony and Modification of all of the above-mentioned areas of Marital and Family Law. Having a case in one of these areas go to trial can be very costly; and very time consuming. So, how can you avoid that?

How to Avoid a Marital and Family Law Trial

You can avoid a trial by entering into a settlement agreement. You can go to mediation. You can also do the case collaboratively. Why would you want to do that? You would want to do that in order to save yourself money due to the cost of the trial. You may also want to do that to save yourself from the stress of a pending trial. You may just want your case to be done.

If You Decide to Proceed to Trial

You have a right to proceed to trial to try to obtain what you feel you are legally entitled to receive. However, be prepared to pay the price. Further, you may not have a choice regarding that if your spouse is determined to take the case to trial.

However, before you can go to trial in the Orlando, Florida area, you must attend mediation. There may also be interrogatories, requests to produce, and requests for admissions, in addition to mandatory disclosure. Further, there may be depositions. There could also be the costs of expert witnesses and depositions of expert witnesses. Expert witnesses include psychiatrists, psychologists, custody evaluators, forensic accountants, and Guardian Ad Litem.

Remember, most attorneys bill or bill their paralegal for every phone call, every email, and every meeting. They bill to prepare for mediation, to prepare for deposition, to prepare interrogatories, to prepare requests to produce and interrogatories. They bill to prepare mandatory disclosure and to prepare a certificate of compliance with mandatory disclosure. If you go to trial, the attorney bills to prepare a Pretrial Statement, witness list, and to do case law research for trial.

Lastly, you may not get a Pretrial date for several months. Then after you receive a Pretrial date, you must wait for a trial date. Sometimes there is no trial time, and the case is rolled to the next trial docket. Even if you get a trial date, you may not complete the trial in the time allotted. If that happens, the trial will be continued to another date. However, that date may be a few months away. You are paying your attorney for all this.

If you have more questions regarding a Marital and Family Law matter, you may call Ann Marie Giordano Gilden at Ann Marie Giordano Gilden, P.A. at 407-732-7620 and set an initial consultation. You may also visit my website at: https://www.annmariegildenlaw.com

This article is for informational purposes only and does not form an attorney client privilege.