Want to litigate your divorce behind closed doors, or keep civil suits private that otherwise would be public records?
Those are just some of the benefits to hiring a private judge — and you won't have to wait long for trial.
After 20 years, Judge Robert Evans recently retired from the bench of the Orange County Circuit Court. Now, instead of presiding over public trials, he says he'll be doing them in private.
"My motto is: You can have your trial next week if you want it," Evans said.
The cost to hire Evans is about $400 an hour.
"If you are, let's say, a doctor who owns his own practice that can't take a day off for the trial, or two days off, I can do it on a weekend. That's currently offered," Evans explained.
The practice, while new to Florida, has been done for years in other states like California.
Under Florida law, if two parties agree to it, they can do a private trial in civil cases. No cases involving children can be private.
The statue also doesn't allow for private jury trials — something Evans said he's working to change.
"There are enough cases where both sides want a resolution that is costing each side enough, where they want a resolution, and this is an option for the lawyers," Evans said.
The retired circuit judge said this also takes a weight off current circuit judges, whom Evans says are doing double the work.
"They are overtasked and underfunded," said Evans. "We haven't had a new judge in the state in the last seven years. No new judges."
Evans has yet to hear his first case as a private judge, but said he is receiving interest from all across the state.