I was in county court today, observing a counseling session between another attorney and our legal services client (I'm volunteering time while I look for work) followed by a permanent restraining orders hearing for our client, the petitioner in the case. The respondent didn't show, so the judge made the temporary order into a permanent one with little ado. This meant I didn't get to see a contested matter, but I still had the opportunity to see a skillfully conducted client counseling session.
Out of about ten parties in that hearing session, only ours appeared to have an attorney. The others all proceeded pro se. The judge kept a very calm and relaxed demeanor, trying in an impartial manner to explain to all parties the procedural options they had, and to elicit from the parties the kind of evidence he would need to make a decision. That is the reality of civil domestic relations hearings in an area not known for wealth.
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