Family Law Assistance Center, Inc.

As of right now, the courts are remaining open, but Riverside Court has posted what to do if you are unable to appear on your court date. IF YOU HAVE AN ATTORNEY Contact your attorney so your attorney can advise the court you are not able to attend the hearing in-person.... IF YOU ARE REPRESENTING YOURSELF If you are representing yourself, and you not able to attend the hearing in-person, depending on your case type, you can request the following: FAMILY LAW Request a Telephonic Appearance instead of appearing in-person at the hearing Local Rule: 5160 (pdf ) An appearance by telephone requires a court order. The party making the request is responsible to ensure a clear and audible telephone connection on the day of the hearing. Except for Department of Child Support hearings, all requests for a telephone appearance must be made on local form RI-FL679, filed with the court and served on all parties at least 10 court days before the scheduled hearing. The judicial officer has discretion to grant or deny any request. Requests may be made using local form: RI-FL679 Request to Appear By Telephone and Order (pdf ). Request a Continuance of the hearing Local Rule: 5125 (pdf ) All requests to continue must be in writing with required notice. The court may deny any request that does not state good cause for a continuance. Any request to continue a hearing is subject to statutory fees under the Government Code 70677(c). Requests may be made using Judicial Council Form: FL-306 Request to Continue Hearing (external site pdf ). Stipulation for Continuance of the hearing Local Rule: 5125 (pdf ) Parties may request a continuance by submitting a stipulation and order. The parties must file a written stipulation and proposed order, signed by all parties, continuing the hearing. The court many deny any stipulation that does not state good cause for a continuance. The stipulation and order must state whether any temporary orders are reissued. Any stipulation for continuance is subject to statutory fees under the Government Code 70677(c). Requests may be made using both forms as follows: Judicial Council Form: FL-306 Request to Continue Hearing (external site pdf ) or RI-FL306 Declaration in Support of Request to Continue Hearing (pdf ).

Even when he’s out of town (purportedly on vacation), Stephen works a few hours a day from the garage of his fifth wheel. #clientsbeforeplay #workhardplayhard #workaholic

When people fear change, they wait until the proverbial house is on fire and then jump. This leaves them with a burned down house and a broken leg! It actually ...takes more grit to *make the decision* to change your situation and step into the unknown. But by doing so - by practicing being comfortable with the uncomfortable - you have the ability to design your own future. Don’t wait until your house is on fire. Decide that you want something different imagine what you want your life to look like gather information about what it will take to have that life show up in your current life with the same optimism, energy and joy that you imagine you will feel in your new life and then take a step...and then another one.

The first question I ask someone when they seek my advice is who is your judge? Family Law judges have a tremendous amount of autonomy. In legal terms, it’s c...alled discretion. Because of this, you can have 2 judges make nearly opposite rulings given similar facts. Attorneys have the benefit of seeing how each judge’s perspective affects his/her decisions and then knowing what facts are most important to that judge. Especially if you represent yourself, but even if you have an attorney, you should follow today’s tip of the day Sit in your judge’s department on a day before your hearing and get a feel for how s/he makes decisions, how they operate their court and then imagine how you can tailor presentation of your facts to make it an easy decision for them.

A little family law humor. Happy Friday