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Departments - Family Law
This web site is designed to give you general information on family law issues. It is not a substitute for legal advice. Please be warned that court forms, laws and local rules change constantly. Though best efforts are made to keep this web site current, some of the information may be outdated. |
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FAMILY LAW CASES
Family Law Cases involve legal proceedings related to family and marriage issues, including:
- Child Support
- Custody and Visitation
- Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce)
- Dept. of Child Support services, Child Support Actions
- Domestic Violence - Restraining Orders (RO)
- Establish Parental Relationship (Paternity), Petitions for Custody and Support
- Legal Separation, Nullity
- And others
Most family law cases involve serious and, often times, complex legal issues. You should consider consulting with a family law attorney before you make the choice to represent yourself. Many family law attorneys charge only a nominal amount or nothing at all for an initial consultation.
If you elect to represent yourself, Mariposa County has a program in place to assist self-represented persons in family law cases. Participation in this program is required for all parties electing to represent themselves. The program is the Family Law Facilitator's Office. It is operated under the supervision of an attorney however the program does not give legal advice as one could obtain from a privately retained attorney.
This program provides services to both parties, or if there is a joinder, to all parties in the case. The program does not represent a party in the case. No attorney-client relationship is created between a party and the program attorney as a result of any information or services provided to a party by the program. The emphesis of the program is to provide legal information and education, not legal strategy and advice. The services of the program is available to all self-represented parties as there is no income qualification prerequisite. The staff of this program will provide information about procedure, substantive law and choices litigants may have, thereby allowing people to make informed decisions about their case. Please contact Mariposa Superior Court at (209) 966-6599 for the name and address of the current Family Law Facilitator.
The Family Law Facilitator's Office provides several services that include the following:
- Providing educational materials to parents concerning the court process of establishing parentage and establishing, modifying and enforcing child and spousal abuse;
- Distributing necessary court forms and voluntary declarations of paternity, assistance in completing the forms;
- Preparing support schedules based upon statutory guidelines;
- Providing referral to the local child support agency, family court services and other community resources that provide services for parents and children; and.
- Providing assistance in child support issues.
© 2004 - Superior Court of California