Article: Unified Family Courts: Recent Developments in Twelve States (Greacen 2003)

A look at how courts in twelve states were enhancing access to justice for families in response to a 2002 white paper from the Conference of State Court Administrators on improving family courts. The white paper recognized the national interest in improving how state courts handled cases involving families and identified the weaknesses of traditional trial Court approaches to these matters. It advocated for transformation of family court proceedings from adversarial to non-adversarial dispute resolution, use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) rather than litigation, faster resolution of family court matters, and consolidation of all matters involving the same family before a single judicial officer. It also called for rigorous evaluation of family court innovations.

Recommended Citation: John Greacen, Unified Family Courts: Recent Developments in Twelve States, 42 Judges Journal Volume 10 (2003)