The Impact of COVID-19 on Family Law

COVID 19 has created extraordinary challenges to the practice of family law. Many courts across the country have limited access to only the most urgent cases like restraining orders, child protection orders and orders involving international child abduction. We expect that even when the courts reopen, there will be significant delays due to the backlog of unheard divorce and family law cases.

As a result, in many cases, alternative dispute resolution like mediation, collaborative divorce, or arbitration may be better options. With these alternative processes, you do not need to attend court, and everything can be done remotely by videoconference.

The Rise of Alternative Dispute Resolution

Mediation is a process in which the spouses retain a third-party family law mediator to help them resolve their dispute. The mediator cannot provide legal advice to either side and if legal advice is needed the spouses will be directed to family lawyers.

Collaborative divorce, or collaborative family law, is a process in which the spouses retain lawyers who are committed to resolving the file outside of court through negotiation. The objective is not to win, but to reach a settlement that is fair and in the best interests of the family.

In arbitration, a private judge is retained to make a decision in the divorce or family law case. The process can be very much like court but it is held in a boardroom, or by videoconference, and unlike court, everything is confidential.

Crossroads Law supports alternative dispute resolution processes during COVID 19. Our mediators and collaborative divorce lawyers are available to assist in resolving family law disputes outside of court, remotely and efficiently. Contact us now for your free consultation.