COVID-19 Updates

Balisle Family Law COVID-19 Update

To Our Clients:

In order to comply with the government guidelines during the current health crisis, Balisle Family Law Legal Counsel, S.C. will be closing our office ony March 17, 2020 and our staff will be working remotely. Accordingly, we will be suspending all “face to face” meetings from March 17 – April 15, 2020. Please be assured our staff will still continue to work from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday to assist you.

We plan to conduct business as usual so please don’t hesitate to contact us as you ordinarily would. The preferred method of contact will be email. You can also call our regular phone number (608-765-1001) and the phone will be forwarded to Trisha or Shawn who will schedule time for the attorney to call you back. We appreciate your patience as we transition to remote work.

Federal, State and Local governments along with the Judicial system are rapidly trying to meet the current situation and it is incumbent on all of us to do our part. At Balisle Family Law Legal Counsel, S.C. our top priority is the health and safety of our employees, clients and local community. This continues to remain at the forefront and given the quickly evolving COVID-19 situation.

Please be aware that the courts in Dane County Wisconsin have already decided that there will be little court activity except for emergencies but even those plans could change by the day.

In Dane County and potentially in other Wisconsin counties, from March 17th through April 15th, subject to more changes as events unfold, the courts will be adhering to the following procedure:

TEMPORARY AND EMERGENCY GUIDELINES FOR PROCEEDINGS

FOR CIVIL, SMALL CLAIMS AND FAMILY CASES

  1. All contested matters requiring in-person appearances including jury trials, civil court trials, small claims, contested custody and placement hearings, and any hearing where evidence will be taken by other than telephonic means (including all de novo hearings) are suspended. Clerks in individual branches will schedule these proceedings as the Court's calendar permits. Contact the individual branch for direction if parties wish to have evidentiary hearings by phone.
  2. Any hearing that can be done by phone will proceed as scheduled, including but not limited to stipulated divorces, name changes, scheduling conferences, status conferences, motion hearings. Some branches will allow name changes and stipulated divorces to be done in-person; check with the branch for their individual policies. For those branches that intend to do name changes and stipulated divorces by phone:
    • Name changes: Notices of publication should be on file at or before the hearing is scheduled.
    • Stipulated divorces: Stipulated divorces can be done telephonically if current financial disclosure statements and marital settlement agreements are filed at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the hearing date and time. In the case of an absent spouse, please contact the branch for direction.
  3. These are guidelines only; if any party or attorney has questions regarding scheduling with a particular Court, they should contact that branch directly for guidance.
  4. Contact Family Court Services at (608) 266-4607 for information regarding rescheduling appointments. Parent Education sessions are canceled, effectively immediately, until April 30, 2020.

From all of us at Balisle Family Law Legal Counsel, S.C. we wish you and your family health, safety and security over the upcoming month and although we may not be “seeing you” we look forward to assisting you as best we can keeping your health and safety as our first priority.