Preparing for Court

A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.

~Wayne Gretzsky

To begin, you must know why you are going into court. The best way to determine this is to read the court’s “minute entry.” A minute entry is the court’s information and ruling memo that should be mailed to the address you have on file with the court. You are also able to find the minute entries in your case on the Internet at http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/docket/FamilyCourtCases/caseSearch.asp. The minute entry will likely request that you do certain things prior to your court date. Follow the court’s instructions! For example, if the minute entry asks you to give your spouse or their counsel certain documents, do so. Whatever the court instructs you to do, do it! Another example is that prior to a resolution management conference or early resolution conference, as discussed in Chapter 9, you will be requested to fill out and file with the clerk of the court your resolution statement. Essentially, this statement is a comprehensive list as to what you would agree to in order to settle your case.