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If you are embroiled in a family law case, there are some terms that may be thrown about that you don’t fully understand. A family law attorney will be able to navigate you through the case and provide you with clarity on what’s going on. This video explains some important family law terms to know.
A motion, petitioner, or complaint are the same thing. The petition is given by the petitioner, or plaintiff. The person receiving the petition is the respondent or defendant. The defendant needs to respond to the petition or motion within the deadlines to avoid legal penalties.
If the respondent responds to the petition, you enter into a discovery phase. This is where the two parties are transferring information between one another and working with attorneys to build their cases. The length of the phase will depend on the number of issues that need to be worked through and the jurisdiction’s standard timelines.
If you and the other party compromise, then a consent judgement is filed for the court’s approval. It will outline all of the agreements the two parties have reached and the judge will approve it. For more information, check out the video in the link above.
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