Jennifer Abrams Explains Why Family Law Cases Need Private and Confidential Handling

Family law often involves highly emotional situations. From divorce to child custody, feelings run high, and many words are said in the heat of the moment that are not meant to be made public. For this reason, family law proceedings deserve to be held in the closest possible privacy.

Jennifer Abrams, a Las Vegas, NV family attorney, explains why family law cases deserve private handling and confidentiality.

People in Emotional Distress

Family law cases often cause serious emotional distress to one or more parties involved. Family law cases can be hotly contested, with both parties feeling anger, betrayal, and fear.

It is said that family law cases often result in seeing how good people behave during the worst time of their lives. This means that behavior and emotions can be exaggerated. Family attorneys have their work cut out for them when it comes to supporting their clients and keeping them grounded through the emotional turmoil of their divorce. 

Family law clients are frequently trying to cope with extensive damage to their family unit and their finances. Understandably, they would be in distress, and attorneys who practice in this field need to have a sense of empathy and the ability to look logically at emotional situations.

Potentially False Allegations

False allegations made by distressed parties sometimes cloud divorce and child custody proceedings. It would be incredibly damaging if false allegations of abuse, neglect, or poor judgment were made public. It is the court's place to decide whether these allegations are credible. When such allegations are disseminated, the public may jump to conclusions and cast judgment that is incorrect or unfair. 

Private Health Information

Frequently, family law courts deal with confidential health information belonging to one or both of the parties. One of the most sensitive types of information is a mental health care record. While family law attorneys may need this information to prepare a solid case, this information would be damaging if released to the public. Privacy laws are in place to protect medical information so it should not become available through the courts.

Jennifer Abrams notes that medical privacy violations could affect a person's career. Courts and attorneys need to carefully consider the consequences before potentially releasing any private information to the public.

Children's Information

Court cases often include the addresses of children's schools, the names of their doctors, the schedule of their extracurricular activities, their grades, and other types of information that only parents and close family should be able to access. In some cases, a child's challenges, struggles, and special needs are explained in detail in court filings. In an ideal world, none of this private information would be accessible by the public but that is not necessarily the case when the parents are only focusing on fighting one another in court.

Sealing Court Records

According to Jennifer Abrams, divorce and child custody cases may be sealed by the courts. This can prevent the public from accessing court filings other than pleadings and orders. This is considered an excellent way to protect family privacy and is used often by top family law practitioners. 

Potential Changes to Confidentiality

Currently, there is a movement toward making divorce cases public. Videos of court hearings in family law cases are being posted and discussed online. This movement has alarmed many family law attorneys and people who may be considering ending their marriages. As information becomes more available through the Internet and news sources, many people who have been divorced may worry that their case files could turn up in search results. This could have a chilling effect on personal privacy and cause people to lose their sense of security.

Responsible attorneys work with families and the court to seal records whenever possible. This helps protect both parties' privacy and that of any minor children in the family.

Understanding Privacy and Family Law

Jennifer Abrams believes that family law attorneys who deal with sensitive cases like divorce and child custody need to preserve their clients' privacy. This not only means sealing cases but also investigating the veracity of allegations before they are filed with the court. 

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