Very few questions or phrases strike fear in people like “trial”, while a pretrial is not necessarily a trial, it nonetheless includes the word and sounds enough like a trial to arouse anxiety. This article will provide some insight as to what you can expect at your Tampa Divorce Pretrial Conference.
First and foremost, a pretrial is a step towards a trial, which presumably you wanted, if you wanted a trial date. The majority of our Tampa Family Law Judges require a pretrial before a trial.
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Secondly, the pretrial is to essentially ensure that everything is prepared and ready for trial. For example, your Family Law Judge would like to ensure all discovery and outstanding mandatory disclosure is complete. This is to avoid discovery surprises at trial or last minute emergency motions to continue your trial. Many Family Law Judges also require the parties to present pretrial memorandum prior the Pretrial Conference, where the parties are required to list the issues to be raised at trial, the disputed matters between the parties and any evidentiary stipulations, they are able to enter into amongst themselves.
The majority of pretrial conferences last approximately 5-10 minutes. Again, the Judge will confirm all outstanding discovery has been exchanged. The Judge will attempt to begin to understand what issues are in dispute, primarily to anticipate the length of the trial and to determine what unique issues could arise during trial. The majority of the speaking at trial is done by the attorneys, but the Judge may ask you questions to understand the risk of a trial and the potential costs of a trial.
If you have questions concerning your upcoming Tampa Divorce Pretrial Conference or Tampa Divorce Trial, please do not hesitate to contact one of our Tampa Divorce Attorneys. We will gladly assist you in preparing for your trial and representing you at trial. You are able to contact our attorneys immediately through the “contact us now” tab in the upper right hand corner, calling our office or utilizing our secure, chatbox in the lower right hand corner. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you.