Lingo You Might Not Know From the Divorce World
If you find yourself involved in a divorce, custody case or other family law litigation you may run across some unfamiliar terms. Here are some common ones with a short definition:
AFFIDAVIT - Information provided under oath. Often times pertaining to current finances, debts and assets.
BAILIFF - The judge’s assistant who helps with the court docket and often oversees the decorum in the courtroom.
CONTEMPT - An action requesting the court to punish a person for violating a prior Court order.
CONTINUANCE - A delay or postponement of a scheduled court appearance.
CPO - A “civil protection order”. An order which can be issued by the court in a domestic violence proceeding requiring a person to vacate a home and cease all contact/communication.
DEPOSITION - A form of discovery where opposing counsel gets to ask questions orally to a party or witness under oath in the presence of a court reporter before trial.
DISCOVERY - The early phase of a case where each side requests information relevant to the issues at hand. This phase may include depositions, interrogatories, production of document requests, and requests for admissions.
DV - Short for a “Domestic Violence” action.
GAL - Short for “Guardian Ad Litem”. Typically, an advocate/attorney for a child. Please click here for links to several articles on GAL’s on this blog.
GUIDELINES - Short for “child support guidelines.” Calculations made based on a statutory formula with many variables, which presents a starting point for child support determinations.
IN CAMERA - A private interview between the Judge/Magistrate and typically a child without the parents or lawyers in the room.
INTERROGATORIES - Part of the discovery phase where written questions are submitted to the opposing party for response.
MAGISTRATE - A lawyer appointed by the Judge to hear cases and make recommendations of the findings of the facts and the outcome. Virtually, the same power as the judge.
PRO SE - A party who is not represented by a lawyer is acting Pro Se.
QDRO - Short for a “Qualified Domestic Relations Order”. This is a specially drafted Court order with many technical nuances dividing a person’s retirement account.
RESTRAINING ORDER - An optional order that is typically issued at the start of a divorce proceeding to maintain the current status, avoid harassment, prohibit disposal of assets and to prohibit retaliation for the filing of the action.
