The Somerset County Bar Association sponsored one of its regularly scheduled meetings with Family Law attorneys and judges on February 6, 2012 to address current issues. In addition to Presiding Judge Margaret Goodzeit, Judge Angela Borkowski was present along with various administrative staff members. Judge Goodzeit announced that recent statistics demonstrate that the long backlog of cases in Somerset County is improving, which means that people seeking a divorce will likely have their cases reached sooner in the future. One of the major complaints of both attorneys and litigants is the length of time it currently takes to have a divorce case set for trial. Many litigants in Somerset County are currently waiting over two years for a trial date.

In an effort to improve this situation, Judge Goodzeit announced an upcoming "blitz" session in April. During this time, older cases will be called into court for special conferences and settlement panels. There will be 7 judges available to conduct settlement conferences and hopefully help parties settle their cases without the need for trial, thus reducing the current backlog even further. Many of the attorneys present serve on the Early Settlement Panel in Somerset County, and volunteered to commit time during the "blitz" period to help resolve other cases.

As I have previously written, the Family Law judges in Somerset County are extremely overburdened with far too many cases for just three judges to handle. The fact that Judge Goodzeit could obtain the services of 7 different judges, instead of the normal 3 judges who sit in the Family Division to aid in this settlement program is a very good sign that the backlog and case delays in Somerset County may now be improving.