Filing For Divorce in Florida During the Coronavirus Pandemic

We’re in the middle of a pandemic. We thought it would be over by now, but it's not. What does that mean for you and your possible divorce?

Filing During Coronavirus

If you and your spouse aren’t seeing eye-to-eye anymore and you need to get out, don’t wait. The world around us may be shutting down, or slowing down, but we’re not. We’re growing and adapting. The Court system for family law is still working hard and so are we!

All of the paperwork we have to do gets filed electronically. No need to worry about having to have any of that delayed or the deadlines for responses delayed either.

Many of our management dates with the Judges are being conducted via Zoom or Teams – depending on what county you’re in. You don’t need to be there because we will be there for you! Right now, the Judges are having Zoom hearings every day. They are hearing everything from emergency motions, final judgment hearings, injunction hearings, etc.

Just like always your case may resolve before trial. If it does, the attorneys are talking over the phone, via email, and sometimes in person. If you have to go to mediation they are being done in person and over Zoom. In mediation you will be with your attorney in one room and the other party and their attorney will be in another room. The only person going back and forth will be the mediator. If you’re not comfortable with that, we do have Zoom mediations being conducted as well.

Sometimes things come up, especially when tensions are high because of the pandemic. There may be issues with time-sharing, keeping a child, etc. You may get with your attorney to conduct an emergency hearing or even file a motion for contempt. These are being evaluated on a case by case basis and the cases where the Court deems it an “emergency” will be heard for a hearing (via Zoom) immediately. The other ones are still being heard but they are put on the regular calendar.

Daytona Beach Divorce Attorneys

If your case has to go to trial, you can talk to your attorney and determine if your case is the kind of case where a Zoom trial would be appropriate. In our jurisdiction, the Courts are trying these out. The attorneys must submit the evidence to the Court ahead of time and then proceed accordingly. Its different and we practitioners are adapting quickly.

Overall, don’t wait to file. There is nothing that will affect the outcome of your case because of the pandemic. You case likely wont even be delayed at all because of it.

If you’re thinking about filing for divorce in Florida, or were just served, we can help you! Give us a call today at 386.222.6677 to schedule a consultation.