14/07/2025
"𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜—𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘄?"
That's the question I get most often about special judging in family law. Here's the short answer:
Special (aka "private") judging has been part of Texas law for nearly 40 years. It’s not new—in fact, it’s the very first chapter of the ADR statute in the Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code. (Chapter 151.) It applies to both civil and family cases.
𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁?
That’s the second most common question—usually right after they share a nightmare story, like:
• “We got 20 minutes per side for contested temporary orders.”
• “We waited 9 months for a trial setting and then got bumped when we arrived.”
• “We requested three days for trial and got two hours per side.”
• "When we asked for a trial date, we were sent back to mediation—for the third time!"
• "We've been waiting 6 months for a ruling."
𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳?
𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀:
✅ You pick your judge.
✅ You pick your trial date and location.
✅ Prepare once—present once.
✅ Get all the time you need.
✅ Stay on schedule—and on budget.
✅ Your client's personal life stays private.
It’s a traditional trial following traditional rules of evidence, discovery, and procedure, conducted by a judge you trust—just without crowded dockets, delays and resets, strict time limits, or public exposure.
📌 For an deeper explanation of how private judging works and why it's a better alternative for your contested or high-stakes Texas family law cases, visit:
Former Texas District Court Judge (2013-2024) Special/Private Judge, Arbitrator, and Neutral in Family Law and Civil Cases
