The divorce court process in St. George is similar to the divorce process in the rest of the state. However, there are some unique aspects of the Fifth District Court in Washington County when it comes to some family law matters. One of the biggest differences in the process here in St. George compared to many other jurisdictions in the state is the lack of a court commissioner. In Salt Lake and Provo, and many other district courts in Utah, there is a commissioner appointed in domestic cases. The commissioner is the authority that rules on almost everything prior to trial. If you do not agree with the commissioner’s decision on something, you have the option of objecting to their ruling and appealing to the judge for a hearing and decision. This effectively means you get 2 bites at the apple is you desire to go to the judge following a commissioner’s decision. Here, in Southern Utah however, there are no court commissioners appointed for domestic matters. Rather, you only have one bite at the apple because all of your issues pre trial and at trial will be heard upfront by the judge assigned to the case. Why is this important? This is important to understand for many reasons the foremost being the fact that you and your Southern Utah family law attorney need to make sure you get it right the first time on any issue brought to court.
Temporary Orders
While temporary orders in Salt Lake and Provo are initially done by a proffered testimony hearing, the process in St. George is different. Temporary orders are heard by the judge here in Washington County so any temporary order brought should be well prepared. Judges have tenancy to follow their own precedent so if you lose on an issue at the temporary orders stage, you may have a hard time overturning that at trial for a final order.
St. George Divorce Attorney
If you are going through divorce in St. George, Cedar City, or any of the surrounding areas, it is very important to obtain counsel from a local St. George divorce attorney who is familiar with the intricacies of the legal system in Southern Utah. At our office, we pride ourselves in understanding how the court rules locally on specific issues in divorce. For more information or to speak with a member of our team today, call us as soon as possible at 435.216.1034.
