Family Court

What is the Family Division?

Since 1998, the Family Division of the Maine District Court has handled family proceedings involving children. This includes divorce, annulment, judicial separation, parental rights and responsibilities, paternity, child support (including cases brought under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act), visitation rights of grandparents, emancipation, and any post-judgment motions arising from these actions. Also under the umbrella of the Family Division are protective custody proceedings, protection from abuse actions and cases brought under the Maine Juvenile Code.

The mission of the Family Division is to "provide a system of justice that is responsive to the needs of families and the support of their children." 4 M.R.S.A. § 183.

The goals of the Family Division are:

To promote a timely resolution of family cases.
To address promptly the establishment, modification and enforcement of child support orders and other orders in family proceedings.
To provide effective case management for family cases involving children.
To facilitate parenting arrangements in the best interest of children at an early stage in the proceedings.
To promote education for the parties about parenting issues and to inform litigants about community services available to help them address family problems.
To provide court users with a better understanding of court processes.
To identify domestic relations cases in which there is domestic abuse or a power imbalance in order to protect children and adults and to ensure a fair resolution of the case.
To promote civility in divorce and other family law proceedings.
To minimize the harm to children caused by family law cases.
To make appropriate referrals to alternative dispute resolution services.

The heart of the Family Division process in a family matters (FM) proceeding is a case management conference conducted by a Family Law Magistrate. A Family Law Magistrate is a judicial officer who has some of the powers of a judge. A case management conference is held early on in the case, usually within 35 to 45 days. One important purpose of the conference is to identify the issues on which the parties agree and those on which they disagree. Another purpose is to ensure that the needs of the children are being met. In addition, the conference provides an opportunity to establish a timeframe and process for moving the case to resolution. This may include referral to mediation, referral to a parent education program or the appointment of a guardian ad litem. The Family Law Magistrate will complete a case management order at the close of the conference and may issue other orders, such as an interim (temporary) order governing parental rights and an interim child support order.

Case management conferences are also held in protective custody proceedings. These conferences, which are held early on in a case, provide a means for judges to actively direct the course of the proceedings so that the children involved in these cases may have safe, permanent homes as soon as possible.

Contact Us:

State of Maine, Administrative Office of the Courts
24 Stone Street, 171 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0171Fax: (207) 287-7553

Tracie Adamson, Esq., Family Division Manager & CASA Director| (207) 287-6844
Lindsay Camire, Family Treatment Drug Court Coordinator| (207) 287-7405
Sarah Cross, Case Management Assistant | (207) 287-5828
Terri Gallant, LMSW, CASA Volunteer Coordinator | (207) 287-5830
Karen Grossman, Program Coordinator | (207) 287-7060
Trisha Rossignol, CIP Administrative Secretary (207) 287-6183
Kirsten F. Skorpen, LMSW, Family Division Resource Coordinator (207) 287-7626
Kara Sullivan, CIP Coordinator| (207) 287-5829
Lisa Waitt, Administrative Secretary | (207) 287-5403

Publications:

Videos:

Available at most court locations or you may contact us at the above address.

The Process of Divorce in Maine
Maine Family Law - Changing / Enforcing your Judgment
Mediation in Maine

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Services

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Maine.gov | Maine Judicial Branch | Site Policies