Family & Children

• New! The FLOW online appointment system for family law workshops has been expanded!  Appointments for the following Family Law Facilitator workshops may now be made online:
  
  
  • Divorce workshop
  • Request for Order workshop (child custody/visitation, child support)
  • Finish My Case workshop (settlement agreements, default judgments, service of process questions)

Visit https://iflow.sdcourt.ca.gov to schedule your appointment.

• See the Court Reporter Information page for information about court reporter availability and policy for official reporters pro tem.
  
  Family law is the term generally used when referring to actions for divorce, legal separation, annulment, paternity, child custody, visitation, support, domestic violence, and family related issues. Court hearings on these types of issues are heard in Family Court.

Divorce, Legal Separation, or Annulment
Persons wishing to terminate their marital or domestic partner relationship may file for divorce, legal separation, or annulment. Issues of child custody, visitation, support, and property division may also be resolved in those cases.

Paternity
Parents who are not married may file a parentage (paternity) action to establish the existence of a parent-child relationship. Besides determining the existence (or non-existence) of a parent-child relationship, issues of child custody, visitation, and support may also be addressed.

Domestic Violence
Persons involved in situations where violence has occurred between them and a person they have had a close personal relationship with, may apply for domestic violence restraining orders in Family Court.

Self Help Services
Family law cases involve serious, and often complex, legal issues. You should consider consulting with a family law attorney before you make the choice to represent yourself. If you decide to represent yourself and need general legal information or help in filling out court forms, self help services are available through the Family Law Facilitator's Office.