Change is the new word for Rhode Island's Family Court System. With the herald of new Chief Judge Haiganush Bedrosian taking her position as the new Chief Judge, changes have been happening in the Domestic Relations Court System at an unprecedented pace, at least during my time as a Rhode Island lawyer.
As a lawyer who tries to remain informed about the newer requirements of the court and changes in the law I am frequently "bothering" for lack of a better term the already overworked clerks, assistant clerks and administrative support staff who strive to keep our courts running by asking them about new forms, administrative orders or other things that I should be aware of as a family law practitioner.
At first I was informed by one person that five (5) Administrative Orders had been issued by our new Chief Judge. Then I was informed that there were only three (3) such orders and the missing numbers in the sequence of the Administrative Orders meant nothing. Then I was told again that there were, in fact, five (5) such orders but only three (3) of them could be found in print form as of the time of my request. To the date of this brief update, I am uncertain if there are 3, 5 or even more orders than are known to practitioners.
To say the least, it can become confusing, especially when the Administrative Orders are extremely important to the practice of law in the family court and yet there is no central form of distribution so that attorneys practicing in the area of domestic relations can know of their existence.
The same is true for new forms. The Rhode Island DR-6 Statement of Assets and Liabilities which has been a long disputed form between attorneys regarding how it is to be filled out and the court's intended use for it has now undergone such change that it has gone from a 2 page form on the front and back page of one peice of paper to a 9 page document which is now in it's third revision (or perhaps more) since its release to attorneys and to the public without notice. The document lacks instructions which makes it substantially more confusing than the prior 2 page form and the mandate that it must now be on green paper or it will be rejected has left several practitioners holding the bag and missing some court deadlines.
Thankfully Rhode Island lawyers who are more courteous in their understanding of these changes in the Rhode Island Family Court are more accommodating and pick up the shortfall for lack of any notice of the form, its changes or lack of instructions by working civilly with other practitioners who find themselves caught unaware by changes that often go without notice. The fundamental point for Rhode Island Divorce and Family Law Practitioners as well as those who attempt to represent themselves in a divorce or other family court proceeding is to do whatever you can to keep abreast of the court's Administrative Orders and the Newest Forms by contacting the Providence Family Court Clerk's Office. It is not wise to presume that you are up to date either on the Orders or the form.
Why?
Here is a true to life example that occurred within the last hour. I had helped a client to complete the new Green DR-6 Statement of Assets and Liabilities Form for a new case. Surprisingly but gladly, I had been added to an email list from the court when I had asked to have the new form emailed to me. The email was brief and to the point. It instructed me to destroy the prior form I had received and to use the newly revised form that had just been emailed out. While some time was wasted and more will be spent transposing the information to the new form, it is better to have been advised of this information than not to know about it at all.
Hopefully, there will eventually be put into place a better way of communicating with RI Family Law Practitioners and the public at large regarding these changes as they arise in the near future. One can only hope that such a process will be part of the plan.
In the meantime, change is something we all need to adapt to and these new Administrative Orders and Forms are no exception. Hopefully, Chief Judge Bedrosian will help us all to come together in a more unified manner to better understand what is being undertaken and why such changes are being made since this too is part of the proper and informed practice of family law.
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