Every beit din in the U.S. serves as an arbitration forum whose powers to adjudicate derives from an Arbitration Agreement (shtar berurin) that the parties sign enumerating the issues that the beit din is authorized to adjudicate. If you do not want the beit din to decide financial or custodial matters you must state so. If your beit din will not take your case unless you authorize them to rule on all end of marriage issues, please contact Esther Macner at 310-730-5282.