The Self-Help Portal and My Court Card is a new on-line program offered by the Orange County Superior Court which will allow Self-Represented Litigants to easily register for Self-Help workshops; get procedural assistance, forms and tutorials for filling out family law forms and, with the help of the Self-Help Services staff, track the progress of their cases. Litigants can also sign up for free pre-filing document reviews. The program is being launched with a Dissolution module and additional modules will be added. Follow this link for more INFORMATION, to REGISTER or LOG-IN to the SELF-HELP PORTAL.
| Get procedural help for your divorce case on your phone! English | Usted puede obtener ayuda de procedimiento en su caso de divorcio por teléfono! Spanish |
Self-Help Services provides free assistance to individuals without an attorney. Our staff can provide legal procedural information, legal forms, answer most questions regarding processes and procedures, and review most completed forms. Assistance is provided for family law, child support matters involving the Department of Child Support Services, probate, civil, residential landlord/tenant, and criminal/traffic matters. Self-Help staff does not provide legal advice or attorney representation. Many of our services are provided in-person or remotely, depending on your legal matter and needs. To learn how to obtain these services, click here. Document Processing Timeframes
Family Law matters for Orange County are filed at the Lamoreaux Justice Center, 341 The City Drive South, 7th Floor, Orange, CA 92683-4593.
In-person assistance:
Effective January 3, 2022:
Monday—Thursday: 8:00 a.m. — 4:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 a.m. — 12:00 p.m.
State Court Rule of Court, Rule 5.83 and Orange County Local Rule of Court, Rule 701.1
The rules were created to have cases progress to judgment in a timely manner. The rules outline case milestones. Cases are reviewed electronically every 180 days until 500 days and not meeting these milestones will trigger cases being notified and/or being called in for status conferences or case resolution conferences. The milestones are:
If you receive a notice that you have not met case milestones you may want to visit one of the Court Self-Help Centers for free procedural assistance.
This protocol sets forth the provisions for the Court to manage family law cases by utilizing family centered case resolution pursuant to Family Law Code sections 2450(a) and 2451, California Rule of Court 5.83, and Local Rule 701.1.
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Contact the Self-Help Center at one of the following Justice Centers for procedural guidance and information. Additionally, view the Self-Help Center’s Workshops page for workshop times and dates.
The Family Law Facilitator is an experienced Family Law attorney who works for the Superior Court of Orange County. They are restricted to assisting with issues relating to child and spousal support, and health insurance in existing cases.
The Family Law Facilitator is not your attorney. There is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Family Law Facilitator. The Facilitator is neutral and can help you as well as the other party (for example, your former spouse, the parent of your child, etc.). If you want help with your case strategy, you should consult with a private attorney for legal advice.
For more information, go to the Family Law Facilitator section of this website.
Rules are procedures the court requires parties to follow when they start a court case. The Superior Court of Orange County has local rules in addition to the state rules.
If you have a disability and need help, you will need to fill out a Request for Accommodations by Persons with Disabilities (MC-410) form and file it with the court as soon as possible, but at least five days before the hearing date. You can read about how to request an accommodation on the ADA section of this website.
By law, in California all official court business must be conducted in English. When one of the parties or witnesses in a case does not speak English well, that person will need a court interpreter (who speaks English and the non-English speaker’s first language) so he or she can understand what is going on and talk to the judge.
For more information on how to request a free interpreter, please click here for the Court’s Language Access page.
If you chose to hire your own interpreter, make sure you get an experienced court interpreter, you should consider a professional interpreter who has passed the required examinations and has officially registered and been approved as a court interpreter by the Judicial Council of California.
The California Courts website has a list of certified and registered interpreters for oral interpretation. Certified and registered interpreters may also translate documents, however, the California Courts does not test or certify an interpreter's written translation skills. The American Translators Association can also interpret documents.
Using a court interpreter can be awkward because you have to go through another person to get your information or talk to the judge. Follow these tips when using an interpreter in a courtroom:
Do not interrupt, even if someone in court says something bad about you. You will get a chance to speak.
Note: There are also American Sign Language interpreters and real time captioning for parties and witnesses that are deaf or hard-of-hearing (or have another disability). The court will provide a sign language interpreter or court reporter for you or other accommodation you may need. You can read more about this in the For Persons With Disabilities Requesting Accommodations section of this website to learn about the court's policy for accommodating persons with disabilities. Make your request as soon as possible, but at least 5 days prior to the hearing.
Children may be brought to the court and may stay in "Children’s Chambers" while their caregivers are conducting business with the court. Children’s Chambers is a safe drop-in center for children that lets children be children instead of spending long sessions listening to adult interactions that could be painful or frightening.
You can read more about which courts offer a Children’s Chambers and the guidelines.
The State Legislature decides what the fees are to file different kinds of Family Law forms. View the Current Fees.
If you are getting public benefits, are a low-income person, or do not have enough income to pay for your household’s basic needs and your court fees, you may ask the court to waive all or part of your court fees. For more information, go to Fee Waivers.
The state (Judicial Council) website has an online booklet for children, "What’s Happening at Court?" This is an activity book for children who are going to court in California.
The Family Court Services of Superior Court of Orange County has developed a Parenting Plan Guideline.
