Family Court

Family court is the court tasked with hearing and deciding cases related to visitation, child support, spousal support, family offenses such as child protection or neglect, adoption, guardianship, paternity, juvenile delinquency and child custody. Parties may choose to hire a family law attorney to represent them in family court or they may represent themselves without legal counsel. Family Court is generally open to the public, although the judge has the authority to exclude the public from the courtroom for the privacy interests of the parties.

Persons who have a case in family court should arrive on time or the case may be dismissed or decided without all interested parties. Free child care may be provided at the court. After the judge makes their decision, each party has the right to appeal the judge's decision, asking a higher court to review the evidence and any testimony presented at the Family Court hearing. Talk to a lawyer for more information about your family law case and your state's rules and regulations.