“Breaking Up with Dignity: Private Courtrooms for Family Matters,” Atlanta Lawyer

Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle partner Cynthia Wright recently authored a “From the Bench” column about how private courtrooms are being used for deciding family law matters.

The column, which ran in the Atlanta Bar Association’s “Atlanta Lawyer” magazine, notes the behind-closed-doors alternative “has all the benefits of a fair and formal judicial process without the loose ends of airing dirty laundry and personal details of a couple’s finances and private lives in public.”

Private courtrooms also can benefit children. “In matters of child custody and support, even the most aggrieved spouse should recognize that adjudicating matters in the public arena is potentially damaging to children,” Wright wrote. “We’ve even seen cases where kids were bullied in school when other children learned details about their family situation from court records.” The full article, found on page 12, can be downloaded here.