If you and the Plaintiff do NOT agree on all issues of your divorce, you will need to have a trial.
Caution: It is strongly recommended that you hire or find an attorney to represent you at trial, though you may represent yourself. You proceed at your own risk and will be expected to know the laws.
- If the Plaintiff has NOT done so, you will need to request a hearing by completing a Request for Setting, indicating that you are seeking a trial the type of hearing you are requesting. Indicate how much time you think it will take for you and the other party to present your evidence and write that in (usually one (1) to three (3) hours). You also need to decide whether or not you want a Court reporter to record the proceeding. If a hearing is not recorded by an official court reporter, a transcript of the hearing will not be available. It is very difficult to appeal the Judge’s decision if you do not get a Court reporter to take down everything that is said at the trial.
- You must file the Request for Setting and the Order Setting Divorce Trial and Requesting Pretrial Statements with the Clerk’s office, and the Court will fill in the hearing date and time and mail a copy to you and the other party. You will need to provide an addressed, stamped envelope for you and the Plaintiff to the Clerk.
Once the trial date has been set, move to the next step.