Camden County Family Court: An Overview
The Camden County Court Family Division is a branch of the Camden County Superior Court that handles cases related to family law matters. The Family Division has a specialized staff, facilities, and resources to provide services to families who are involved in the legal system. In all family court matters, whether divorce, custody or even child support, litigation can become both expensive and time consuming. For this reason , Camden County now provides mandatory participation in early mediation for any family law dispute. The role of the Camden County Family Court is to facilitate the resolution of disputes that involve family relationships. To that end, the Family Division has jurisdiction over a broad range of family-related cases.
The cases within the jurisdiction of the Camden County Family Court include Divorce, Legal Separation, Child Custody, Child Support, Adoption, Name Change, Guardianship, Abuse Restraint, Termination of Parental Rights, Domestic Violence, Child Placement Review and Kinship Legal Guardianship proceedings.
What types of cases does the Camden County Family Court handle?
When a family law matter makes its way into the Camden County Court system, it will be heard before the Family Part, which is comprised of judges with dedicated family law experience. On the other hand, cases involving abuse and neglect of children may be heard by a judge the Chancery Division Judge may appoint. The Family Part hears the following types of cases: divorce, child support, alimony, custody, domestic violence, child emancipation, Pendente Lite Applications, Motions, Order Enforcement, Appeals from Probation, Change of Venue Applications, Name Changes, Parent-of-Origin Applications, Juvenile Matters, Guardianship Matters, Conservatorships, Partition Actions, Prenuptials, Real Estate Partition Actions, Premarital Agreements, Adoption Proceedings, Child Placement Proceedings, Conservatorship Matters, Grandparent Visitation Matters, Hague Convention Applications, Termination of Parent Rights, Termination of Civil Union Rights, Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgment Act, Hague Act, Interstate Child Support Act, and Interstate Child Custody Jurisdiction Act. In addition, the Family Division of the Camden County Court hears matters involving "adoption proceedings, enforcement proceedings resulting from international child abduction or interferences with visitation rights, and wrongful dis-possession or removal of children from the State."
Court procedures and processes for the Family Division
Within the Camden County Court Family Division, family law cases generally proceed as follows: the filing of the initial complaint, a provisional hearing, discovery, and ultimately, trial. However, some parties elect to explore other options. For example, mediation may be successful in many divorce actions. A divorce mediator does not provide legal advice such as advice on child support or alimony, nor do they give legal advice about what decisions you should be making concerning custody/parenting time, equally or not equally dividing your assets or negotiating a fair settlement for you.
In addition to mediation, the family court also offers arbitration as an alternative to trial. In Camden County, each judge has their own preferences as to how to proceed once a case is assigned. Some judges set a case management conference date and/or the first case management conference date as a "return date" so that the judge can appear and set the terms of the arbitration with the parties. Others might have the parties submit a proposed Arbitration Order, via a Consent Order, for attachment on the next return date. The Court will then review the proposed Order and likely enter it as its own while sending a copy to the designated "Arbitrator Judge." After that, the Judge will get back to the parties with the selected arbitration date.
With respect to the discovery period, it is possible for the Court to pre-set deadlines for the exchange of discovery (ex. fact interrogatories, expert interrogatories, each party’s document exchange, etc.). At the conclusion of discovery, either party can file an Order to Show Cause ("OTSC"). The OTSC is usually based on an additional motion for one party to enforce the discovery order that was previously entered by the Court. It is also possible, though less typical, for each party to file for Summary Judgment which is the process by which one asks the Court to make the decision at that point in time without the need for an extensive trial.
Many parties want to begin their trial as soon as possible following the expiration of the discovery period, however, it is not atypical for the Court to allow several months before the trial commences. The Court does have both preferral days (specific dates on which a case has been set for trial) as well as request days (specific dates on which the parties have requested a trial which have been approved by the Court but may not have been calendared yet). The Court also has a mandatory 180 day period from the time of the first case management conference for the case to proceed to trial. This is meant to encourage the parties to commence trial proceedings or settle their claims in advance of trial.
The bottom line is that the timeline in a family court matter is rarely simple. The presiding judge over this family court matter often has his or her own reasons for preferring a certain timeline and order for that timeline. There are simply no shortcut to a family court case so that everyone can make their plans, including children. We deal head on with delays any time we are retained, but there are no guarantees that will not happen even if you are well-prepared. You must therefore be properly prepared as a litigant from the outset and ready to deal with whatever happens throughout.
Preparing for your day in family court
In the Camden County Court Family Division, parties involved in litigation must come prepared and informed for their court appearances. To ensure that a case proceeds as smoothly as possible, there are a number of steps that must be taken to ensure that your case is fully prepared.
As in any other litigation, it is important to know the basic information on the parties involved and the issues at hand. Knowing the specific point of contention, in addition to your position on that issue, is vital in order to help the judge make a proper ruling on the matter. Further, knowing the statutory basis for your position also helps guide the judge in ruling on your matter.
Gathering all proofs and documentation necessary to support your position is also essential. He or she needs to know the approximate amount of documents he or she can expect in order to make a decision on your case. Thus, if an expert is going to be called, it is important to notify the judge. If there are going to be witnesses, again, having the judge and other parties aware of this also assists the judge in preparing for your appearance. It is also important to have all documents and proofs organized and ready to proceed into court with these documents in chronological order . Being unprepared in such a manner is discouraging to a judge and makes for an unsatisfactory day in court. Having everything in order and being as persuasive in your argument as possible communicates to the judge that you are prepared to move forward.
Find out prior to the court date whether an attorney or party is going to appear by phone or in person. In such circumstances, therefore, the other party can be prepared for such an appearance. By simply calling the Family Division of the Camden County Superior Court, you can determine whether any attorneys will be appearing by phone or actually coming into the court that day.
It is vital to know how to properly address the Judge in the Family Division of the Camden County Superior Court. When entering the court, all parties must be respectful and courteous, and when speaking to the Judge they must do so in their proper name or title; "Your Honor" or simply "Judge." Any other provision is deemed disrespectful in a court of law. Further, once a judge has made a decision on an issue it is vital that the party shows the appropriate respect for such opinion. Even though it may not be favorable to your position, the judge’s opinion must be respected and followed just as any other law or statute.
Resources and assistance for sisters and families
Utilities or resources available to families in Camden County facing a family division case include Legal Aid and Empowerment Family Justice Center which brings together partnership of organizations that provide a coordinated response to domestic violence. The New Jersey Bar Foundation provides several family law programs that help educate people about family law processes and laws, including divorce, domestic violence, planning a family with children, guardianship and adoption. South Jersey Legal Services, Inc. provides free legal assistance to low-income people living or working in Southern New Jersey. The New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence works to increase public awareness about the problem of domestic violence, to educate professionals and the general public, and to support and strengthen the network of domestic violence service providers around the State. The Southern New Jersey Lawyers Assistance Program assists attorneys and judges who are suffering from substance abuse, depression, burnout, or other mental disorders. The Court System of New Jersey also offers a guide to programs and services you may be interested in.
Frequently asked questions – Camden County Family Court FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about Camden County Family Court:
How do I contact Camden County Government offices?
Camden County Government offices can mostly be found on the Camden County Government website at www.camdencounty.com. We suggest visiting those website for most inquiries you may have.
Often times it takes to long to get a return phone call or response from an agency. also, the most updated information about Camden County can be found on the Camden County Official website.
To contact the Camden County Family Court for issues regarding their Office of Child Support and Paternity you can call them at 856-910-2700.
Who is the Camden County Family Court Judge?
Honorable J . Theodore McKee is the Camden County Family Court Judge. He has a Courthouse Annex in Camden, New Jersey. Judge McKee’s chambers are located in Camden City.
What is a Family Law Master?
Family Law Masters or Judges are appointed to hear what are commonly known as "motions" in Family litigation. Generally speaking, Types of motions heard are:
Judges sometimes hear these matters as well. However, if you are in Family Court, it is likely that you will have to go before a Family Law Master.
What if I work during normal business hours?
Unfortunately, Family Court hours are not flexible. They do not have the ability to accommodate your schedule at this time.