Re-Opening of Alabama’s Court System Post-Pandemic

At Skier & Associates, our practice is varied. We have pending cases in numerous venues including Alabama State Courts (District Court, Circuit Court, Family Court in Montgomery, Autauga, Elmore, Butler, Lowndes and other counties) Municipal Courts (Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook and Wetumpka City Courts for example,) Federal District Courts (Middle District of Alabama) and administrative bodies (Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles.)

All of these entities have approached their scheduling and handling of pending cases differently during the period of shut-down, and all are taking different approaches to re-opening. This can be confusing for clients as well as attorneys.

As we begin to re-start society after the pandemic that has closed all of the entities above, we and our clients are dealing with a patchwork of rules and regulations. While Alabama’s state court rules are set by the Administrative Office of Courts and the Chief Justice, other courts (like city courts) are following their own rules and procedures, and Federal Courts have a separate set of guidelines still.

All the while, administrative agencies like the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles make their own rules.

We at Skier & Associates are dedicated to making the post-pandemic re-opening process as seamless as possible for our clients. As we get notices we immediately notify our clients of the updated information. We are taking steps to handle as many cases as possible administratively (without need for court appearance) as possible, but there are some proceedings for which a personal appearance in court is required by law. For these cases, patience will be required as this is a new process for everyone involved and everyone is learning as we go.

We know how frustrating pandemic-related delays have been for our clients, and we share in this frustration. We will get through this together.