Many things can happen in status conferences in family court proceedings. One kind of status conference is a conference held for the sake of setting the trial date or dates for a case that is ready for trial.
Generally speaking, the purpose of status conferences is to help ensure that cases proceed expeditiously and properly.
In the jurisdiction where I practice divorce and family law (Utah), courts and litigants can hold status conferences for many different reasons, many of which are identified in Utah Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 16(a):
- expediting the disposition of the action;
- establishing early and continuing control so that the case will not be protracted for lack of management;
- discouraging wasteful pretrial activities;
- improving the quality of the trial through more thorough preparation;
- facilitating mediation or other ADR processes for the settlement of the case;
- considering all matters as may aid in the disposition of the case;
- establishing the time to join other parties and to amend the pleadings;
- establishing the time to file motions;
- establishing the time to complete discovery;
- extending fact discovery;
- setting the date for pretrial and final pretrial conferences and trial;
- provisions providing for the preservation, disclosure or discovery of electronically stored information;
- considering any agreements the parties reach for asserting claims of privilege or of protection as trial-preparation material after production; and
- considering any other appropriate matters.
Other matters specific to divorce and family law proceedings that are often subject status conferences include:
- monitoring and ensuring that the parties exchange their initial disclosures and financial declarations timely
- monitoring and ensuring that the parties complete their divorce orientation and education courses timely
- monitoring and ensuring that the parties schedule and hold mediation timely
Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277