Few hearings confuse folks involved in a Tampa family law case the elusive case management conference. As a Tampa family law attorney, I am asked more often about what is going to happen during a case management conference than any other hearing. I believe much of the confusion is derived by the name of the hearing; it essentially raises more questions than answers.
First, the million questions you have about how your case is proceeding and when it will be over, none of those questions will be answered at the case management conference that is obviously the bad news. As any Tampa family law attorney will tell you though, the good news is that the case is beginning to move forward now and will quickly speed up.
Secondly, you will not have an opportunity to present your case to the court that day. The hearing will likely take under two (2) minutes, but you may have to wait up to thirty (30) minutes to have an opportunity to go before the judge. Many other attorneys and their clients will be in the courtroom, while your case is discussed.
Lastly, you may have to go back for ANOTHER case management conference before getting to a final hearing. The goal of a case management conference is to ensure the matter is proceeding towards some sort of resolution – trial, settlement and/or dismissal. Do not panic if it takes several case management conferences to get your matter resolved. They are there to ensure the case continues moving forward and does not become stagnant as many cases do.
If you or someone you know has questions concerning case management conferences, contact the Tampa family law attorneys of Hackworth Law for a free case consultation. We have handled hundreds of cases throughout the Tampa Bay area and would be more than happy to assist you with your case. We appreciate you taking the time to check out our Tampa family law attorney blog and look forward to hearing from you. If you would like to contact one of our attorneys immediately, please use the “contact” tab in the upper right hand corner of our website.