How the Civil Presiding
System Works in Bexar County
family law cases, go to a presiding district court in Room 109 of the Bexar
County Courthouse. Several dockets each day handle these cases.
At 8:30 each day,
cases that do not require witnesses are set. These cases usually
involve discovery motions, summary judgments or motions to withdraw.
The daily 9:00 docket is the busiest docket. All non-jury trials on
the merits and temporary orders cases are set here. Divorce,
non-Attorney General paternity cases and modifications make up the
vast majority of this docket. The presiding judge has several
district judges available to assist him or her with the docket. The
judge calls each case set on the docket that day.
At docket call, the San Antonio attorneys announce “ready”, “not ready”, or “conferring.”
When “conferring,” the presiding judge allows the parties to
negotiate and attempt to settle all or part of the case without a
hearing. If a case is “ready,” the judge asks the attorneys for
the expected time and sends the case to an available judge for a
hearing. There are other dockets for family violence protective
orders and pro se cases. Separate judges and dockets handle Attorney
General cases and Child Protective Services cases.
Bexar County’s
system is one of the most efficient in the state. Our jury backlog is
virtually nonexistent because it works on the same principle.
Sometimes, longer hearings may not get reached and have to be
rescheduled but most of the time your case will get heard on the day
you are set for trial.
At Bandoske •
Augustine • Marvel, PLLC, our San Antonio Divorce attorneys are based in and practice
extensively in Bexar County. We know the law. We know the system. We
know your rights.
