Judge Diaz spoke to the Cypress Bay high school law club recently, discussing law and the legal profession. He is pictured here with the entire club and with the club officers.

Judges Jose Izquierdo and Fabienne Fahnestock were part of a recent panel discussion entitled “Promoting Women and Diversity on the Bench: State JNC’s and State Committees,” hosted by The Broward County Women Lawyers’ Association and the Broward County Car Association. The attorneys and judges making up the panel offered an overview of the judicial nominating process and the “dos” and “don’ts” of a successful applicant.

https://www.browardbar.org/calendar/#!event/2018/10/3/promoting-women-and-diversity-on-the-bench

The first school tour of the new school year took place last Friday when students from Western High School spent the morning at the central courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale. According to the teens, the opportunity to observe First Appearance/Bond Court and a question and answer session with Judge Elijah Williams were the highlights of the trip.

Tours of the central courthouse, and the satellites, can be arranged throughout the year, not just when school is in session. Groups interested in setting one up can visit http://www.17th.flcourts.org/visits-and-tours/ for more information.

The Court Administration office of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit is hiring for several positions. Click here to find out more.

Since the August 20, 2018 inception of the Seventeenth Circuit’s streamlined process for Petition for Simplified Dissolution of Marriage, allowing for divorces on the same day, the number of litigants benefitting from the system shows the process has been a success. In August alone, the court handled 45 simplified dissolution of marriage cases, and September saw 95 cases.

You can only file a Petition for Simplified Dissolution of Marriage if no children have been born during the marriage who are currently under the age of eighteen, and no children are expected by either party. Both parties must sign the Petition. A Petition for Simplified Dissolution of Marriage may be filed in person or electronically. Click here for instructions and procedures for both.

Members of the Unified Family Court judiciary and case management staff attended the 2018 Florida Chapter Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (FLAFCC) Conference last week in Orlando, Florida. This year’s conference theme, “Open Minds: Diverse Services for Diverse Families” offered three days of intensive workshops for attendees.

Pictured here are family court case managers, Judge Hope Bristol and Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente.