Just seven or eight months ago new COVID-19 infections seemed to be spiraling out of control with thousands of people testing positive each day. Thanks to an impressive vaccination push that featured free drinks and lottery winnings, the United States has the armor to fight back against this global pandemic, Connecticut has now reached the stage with less than one hundred new cases per day.
Although it appears that we have turned a corner in Connecticut, new variants and vaccine disinformation make the future uncertain. Even if you manage to get a case before a judge, there is no guarantee that the courts will remain open. We all need to do our part to protect public health and safety.
During the peak of the pandemic Connecticut courts essentially closed to litigants and the public. Although judges and court staff tried to do work-arounds that included video conferencing and more lenient filing and discovery rules, many divorcing couples were negatively impacted by the inevitable delays in their cases.
One consequence of the long hiatus in court availability is that alternative settlement venues increasingly began to fill the gap. Although it goes without saying that not everyone is happy with a mediation process that often involves considerable face-to-face, or face-to-zoom, interaction with an estranged spouse, many couples found that they were able to reach an acceptable dissolution of their marriages in a less rigidly-structured manner and at a fraction of the cost and time of a traditional divorce action working its way through the court.
Hirsch Legal, LLC’s mediation practice is managed by a veteran divorce lawyer and mediator, Carmina Hirsch. When you visit us for an initial consultation about your divorce litigation or mediation matter, an important part of our service is to evaluate whether the issues in your divorce are such that you would be better served in court, in a more laid-back mediation setting, or in something in between like a collaborative law model setting where trained legal professionals guide the parties to a fair and appropriate settlement.
In cases where there are complex legal issues beyond divorce in the mix, or when the acrimony between the parties precludes conversation, the court system may be your only option. For most other situations, mediation and collaborative law is an option worth careful consideration.
Hirsch Legal, LLC serves clients in New Haven and upper Fairfield County (Danbury, Trumbull, Bridgeport, Milford). If you need legal advice on the best way to reach a fair and equitable divorce settlement, give us a call today!