Obtaining a Private Judge In Lieu of Going to Court

More and more couples are looking to alternative means to obtaining resolution to their divorce cases, whether that be mediation, collaborative law, arbitration or obtaining a Private Judge. I've already touched on collaborative law, arbitration and mediation in previous blogs. The hiring of a Private Judge is something that most couples never even consider, however it can be a very good alternative to going to court. (Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt used one in their divorce). Private Judging is a process in which the parties in a divorce agree to retain a neutral person as a private judge. The private judge will hear the case and make a decision, in a way much like a public judge. The key difference between an arbitrator and a private judge is that the private judge is appointed by the Court and the court retains some supervisory role over the private judge. The trial, or hearing, is not held in a courthouse, and you can request all the time that you need for the matter to be heard. Many couples use this form of dispute resolution when they want to keep their case, and the matters involved in their case, private. Once you have decided to obtain a divorce, its important to discuss with your soon to be former spouse whether or not you could possibly use one of the alternative dispute resolution tools such as a Private Judge.