What happens at a preliminary conference?
This is often a very uncomfortable situation for clients. Preliminary Conferences are usually only for divorce cases, and they occur after the lawsuit has started and the issue has been joined. During the Preliminary Conference, the clients rarely see the Judge. The attorneys show up at various time intervals, discuss the case, and fill out what is called a Preliminary Conference Order. The Preliminary Conference Order is a Stipulation/Order, which controls the timeframe for the entire case. For example, the average Preliminary Conference Order lists which issues have and have not been resolved. The issues set forth in the average Preliminary Conference Order are as follows: fault; custody; support; equitable distribution; forensic; law guardian or grounds. These issues are usually marked unresolved. With respect to forensics and Law Guardians, they are often reserved. The most important part of the Preliminary Conference is the discovery and the deadlines for various exchanges of fina
