The Houston Texas Divorce Court 311th of Harris County, Texas hears family law matters generally from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The 311th Judicial District of Harris County Texas is located on the 8th floor of the New Civil Law building at 201 Caroline, Houston Texas 77002. This court hears divorce and other family law matters in Houston, Texas. Judge Germaine Tanner has been on the bench since January of 2019 and was reelected January 2023 Judge Kimberly Baughman is her associate Judge who was the prior associate judge in the 312th of Harris County, Texas Their number is (713) 274-4580. The Courts Website may be found here.
“Procedures in the 311th Divorce Court”
Procedure in the 311th Divorce Court starts with agreed uncontested divorce for you may and it is encouraged that you prove up the divorce or uncontested matter via a sworn affidavit. Examples may be found here The docket starts at 9:00 a.m. This Court has resumed in person hearings that were primarily zoom during the pandemic. Trial docket start on Mondays at 9 a.m. with a two week rotation to hear or try your case. Mediation is required before temporary orders in which child custody is at issue, complex property cases and all final trials. I had one case with Judge Tanner in private practice. Since she has been on the bench, Andrew Iwata, my associate has tried several cases with her, and I with her associate judge, Kimberly Baughman. Her associate Judge, Kimberly Baughman, was the associate judge in the 312th of Harris County prior to moving to the 3111th
Parenting classes are required before a final trial in which child custody is contested. This means that if you do not take the class and if you have a contested hearing, you loose points for custody, but if you have a deal, then the parenting class is not required. In the case of name changes, there is the need for a criminal background check, together with an identification card that is valid. The pre-trial conferences are, in most cases, held on Fridays, with 10 days in advance of trial. There is the need for a pre-trial checklist to be completed by the parties. Pre-trials are typically held only in Jury trials.
The motions for continuance can be granted from the first trial setting if the parties agree to it, and a new date can be set. The Court Coordinator for the 311th is Iris Garcia, who can be reached at [email protected]. Amicus Attorneys assigned on contested cases will be made depending on each case separately. The Court put a limit on hourly rates of $250 per hour and a limit of 40 hour per case, unless prior approval of judge is given for amicus attorneys. For any supplementary information, contact Michael Busby, a Houston divorce attorney, who will be ready to answer any question.
Visit me on the web at www.busby-lee.com
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