Legal Question in Family Law in Florida

A hearing date will normally not be set until an Answer to the petition has been filed, discovery has been completed by both parties and the parties have been unable to settle their issues at mediation. A magistrate is an attorney appointed by a judge to take testimony and recommend decisions on certain matters connected with a divorce. These recommendations are then reviewed by the judge and are generally approved unless contrary to the law or the facts of the case. The primary purposes of having general magistrates hear family law matters are to reduce the costs of litigation and to speed up cases.