Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 6, 1990 TAG: 9004060078
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Neal Thompson New River Valley Bureau
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
Family court is now nothing more than a concept, and would be new to Virginia.
But the concept is a good one, according to those familiar with the system.
It could give people involved in family matters better service because the system would be tailored to their needs and the judges would be experts in family law. It also could cut down on the number of cases that clog circuit courts.
In January, Pulaski County became one of two Virginia jurisdictions whose courts will test the family court concept. Divorce cases will be watched the closest over the two-year period.
The other court system being watched is Arlington's, which is the urban model for the project.
Pulaski and Arlington are the "control courts" for the project, which was approved by last year's General Assembly.
Court clerks in Pulaski and Arlington will tally the numbers of cases involving such matters as divorce, annulment and affirmation of marriage. They also will monitor how long it takes these cases to work their way through the current system.
That information will be used to determine whether a new family court would work better than the circuit court, which handles most family matters.
Pulaski Circuit Court Clerk Glenwood "Woody" Lookabill said it's still too early to determine whether a family court will work.
"The project's coming along OK," said Lookabill. "But it's a major undertaking to start a whole new court."
Lookabill recently met in Richmond with a dozen other members of the Family Court Pilot Project Advisory Committee, on which he serves. "We're still waiting for some of the statistics to determine its value," he said. "But most were still optimistic. And soon we'll get a pretty clear picture of whether Virginia needs a family court."
Lookabill said the earliest that any legislation on family court could be passed would be early 1993. That would allow a year for results of the two-year pilot project to be compiled and studied after it ends in December 1991.
Until then, 10 other Circuit Courts in Virginia - including Roanoke and Roanoke County - will serve as pilot family courts and actually will be doing what a family court would do. Circuit judges in those 10 courts will hear all family matters.
Those matters, at both the circuit court and juvenile and domestic relations district court levels, would include divorce cases and matters involving custody, visitation, child support and spousal support.
Aside from domestic matters, a family court judge also could handle the case of a 16-year-old who steals a car because he is upset about his parents getting divorced.
Also, family court judges would be chosen on the basis of their knowledge and interest in family law. That, Lookabill said, would benefit the public because circuit court judges often don't like hearing domestic cases.
by CNB