Do you want to know your judge and/or commissioner? View their bench books.

August 1, 2019Divorce UtahDivorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness

You’ve filed for divorce or had a divorce case filed against you. For most people, this is their first contact with the legal system. This is new and unknown, and so it’s frightening. The best (and first) antidote to the fear is becoming informed and knowledgeable about what you’re in for.

A good place to start is knowing about your divorce case’s judge and/or commissioner. Many judges and commissioners have a profile in the “Judge’s Bench Book,” which is provided by the Litigation Section of the Utah State Bar:

http://litigation.utahbar.org/benchbooks.html

The Judges’ Benchbook provides information on both trial judges and domestic relations commissioners who have agreed to provide information about how they approach a case and how they like to see a case proceed. You and your attorney can learn how to present your case in the way your judge and commissioner prefer. You can also learn what behaviors and practices to avoid.

So read the profiles on your judge and commissioner in the Bench Book. Tell your attorney about it too (not every attorney knows about the Bench Book). Get to know your judge and commissioner better so that you can work with them better and thus improve your chances for success.

The Litigation Section’s web page features other useful resources in addition to the Bench Book, so after you read the Bench Book profiles for your judge and commissioner, spend a little more time checking out those other resources too. A few you might find most useful include:

http://litigation.utahbar.org/50_tips.html