Where can I find the court forms I need to start a case in one of the 3 family-related courts?

Each of the three courts that handle family matters has LETTERS and NUMBERS to identify forms that are specific to their court:

    Family court forms start with FC.
    Probate court forms start with GC.
    Dependency court forms start with JV.
    For all the courts, fee waiver forms usually start with FW.

You can find California court forms on the following website: http://www.courts.ca.gov/forms.htm. Of course, because rules and procedures vary county by county, you ALWAYS want to check with your local court’s rules and procedures to find out which court forms are preferred or required in your county.

Below we further explain how you can access various court forms for your family or child’s case, depending on whether you are currently or formerly incarcerated.

If you are formerly incarcerated:

California court forms are available online from the California Courts’ website at http://www.courts.ca.gov/forms/forms.htm. You can also ask the court’s Family Law/Self-Help Facilitator (see Appendix A) to help you with the court forms you need. Finally, your local law library may also be able to help you with the court forms, legal research materials, and information about other legal resources you may need.

Helpful HintFamily Law/Self-Help Facilitators are Available to Help

It can be very helpful to talk to a lawyer about your family law case. If you do not have a lawyer to represent you, your local family court’s Family Law/ Self-Help Facilitator can help you with forms and procedures—but NOT legal advice (see Appendix A for listings of Family Law Facilitators across the state). You may also want to contact a local legal aid office and find out if someone can help you with your case (see a listing of legal aid offices at the back of this guide beginning on PG. 1127.

If you are currently incarcerated:

You have the right to petition to start a case while you are incarcerated, but there may be barriers that make it so you cannot be present at court or, because of your incarceration, cannot meet requirements needed for custody, since you cannot have physical custody of your child while you are incarcerated. Fore more information on custody see PG. 732. For more information on convictions that bar you from requesting custody or visitation, see PG.726. Before you start a case, make sure your incarceration or conviction is not an automatic bar from getting a favorable result in court. If you have access to the Internet, the California court forms are available online from the California Courts at: http://www.courts.ca.gov/forms/forms.htm.

You can also request the forms from Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC). You can call them at: (415) 255-7036, or write them at: Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, 1540 Market St., Suite 490, San Francisco, CA 94102

LSPC also has a 2012 manual that has the forms you may need. You can find this manual at: www.prisonerswithchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Incarcerated-parents-version-12.11.12.pdf