The San Diego Superior Court Is Facing Huge Budget Cuts
What does this change mean for you? You are the individual who assumes their justice system will be available to them when they need it. Well, it kind of means it might not be. The already reduced San Diego superior court staff and decreasing clerks in the business office. This causes the processing of paper to occur at snail speed. For those of us who mail in our documents, it can take one month or longer before conformed (i.e., file-stamped) documents are returned. While it is an option to walk it into the court, not all of us are staffed to be able to send someone to the courthouse 3-4 times a week. This is true especially when it may be from North County all the way down to South Bay.
The following cuts may be implemented:
- Elimination of more than 250 San Diego Superior Court employee positions;
- Closure or restructuring of more the 40 courtrooms;
- Closing the business offices at noon on Fridays;
- Elimination of independent calendar clerks, non-court room staff, furloughs, and more.
Families feel as though they are sent in circles in the courts for years. To add more insult to injury, they will have to withstand being in each other’s lives for even longer. This keeps individuals who clearly don’t get along, forced to deal with issues relating to finances and children, often very young children, without the protection of final judgments or the closure of a final divorce. This can be devastating to families and children.
Stay Out of Litigation
This is even MORE of a reason that if you are facing a divorce, DO NOT HIRE AN ATTORNEY AS A FIRST STEP. Rather, get involved in mediation, do as much of the work (if not all) before hiring an attorney, then make your agreements in mediation. You can have an attorney review your agreement to ensure your interests and rights are protected. But save yourself time and money by working these very intimate issues out on your own.
Mediation: Faster, More Affordable, More Efficient
You do not need the San Diego Superior Court to tell you how to raise your children or divide your money. You can make these decisions for yourselves. A typical mediation can be over within 1-3 months….a typical divorce, 1-3 years and with the new budget cuts that will only increase. Do yourselves and your children a favor, start in mediation and skip the dramatic court appearances. You will be happy you did.
Want more information about the San Diego Superior Court and how we can file your documents for you? Contact West Coast Family Mediation Center at (858) 736-2411 today!