Family Law Facilitator's Office

The staff of the Family Law Facilitator's Office (FLF) is available to help unrepresented parents and parties who have questions about family law issues. They can help you in preparing court forms and can give you general legal information. The Family Law Facilitator's Office is staffed by court attorneys, paralegals, and clerks with experience in family law. The Family Law Facilitator's Office does not assist parents or parties who are represented by an attorney. The attorneys at the Family Law Facilitator's Office are not your lawyer, but are neutral court employees who do not represent any parent or party and may provide information and services to all parties in the case.

Our Mission

The Family Law Facilitator's Office is dedicated to helping self-represented litigants better understand family law procedures, increase their access to the family law courts, and obtain a quicker resolution of their family law matters.

Family Law Workshop Appointments

If you have a family law case and need assistance filling out paperwork to obtain or change a child support or child custody/visitation order, Family Law Facilitator workshop appointments are available on-line here.

Coming soon – on-line appointments for the following workshops:

Starting a divorce, legal separation, or nullity. Finishing your case by default judgment or stipulated agreement, including questions on service of process.

Appointments for these workshops may currently be made by visiting your local Family Law Facilitator office.

What services are available?

• Assistance in choosing and completing forms for family law actions
• Assistance and information regarding:
  • Child custody and visitation
  • Child and spousal support
  • Paternity actions
  • Petitions for divorce, legal separation, nullity, and dissolution of domestic partnership
  • Service of process
  • Modifications of existing orders
  • Response to a court action
  • Formal orders after hearing and judgments
  • Guardianship actions
  • Joinders for custody in an existing family law case when the requesting party is a relative and has the child in his/her custody
  • Wage assignments in family law cases

What services are not available?

• Assistance with discovery *
• Assistance with contempt forms *
• Assistance with subpoenas/subpoenas duces tecum *
• Most property division and property ownership issues
• Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs)
• Grandparent petitions for visitation
• Adoptions, including step-parent adoptions
• Legal research or points and authorities
• Enforcement, except for wage assignments in family law cases
• Appeals or writs

* The San Diego County Law Library has reference materials and self-help guides available in these areas.

What can I expect when I visit the Family Law Facilitator’s Office?

Once you are signed in for a session, you will be given an intake form to fill out and asked to describe the issue(s) you want help with. A staff person will review your request and then speak with you. If assistance cannot be provided, a referral to an alternate agency or service provider may be given.

If it is determined that assistance may be provided by the Facilitator's Office, someone will sit down with you and provide procedural assistance, an understanding of the family law court system, and guidance on completing the forms.

How Long Will It Take?

Assistance at no cost is provided on a first come, first served basis. Sessions fill up quickly so arrive early and be prepared to wait. Depending on the number of individuals in the session and the issues involved, your wait time could be all morning or all afternoon. Priority is given to domestic violence restraining orders and cases just heard in the courtroom and referred to the Family Law Facilitator's Office.

What Should I Bring with Me?

• A copy of all court documents relating to your case. Your papers should be organized by date, with the oldest paperwork on the bottom and the newest on the top.
• For financial issues:
  • Written proof of your income from all sources for the past 12 months
  • Pay stubs for the last two months
  • Your W-2 forms for last year
  • Your latest tax return
  • If you are disabled, proof of your disability and monthly disability income
  • If you are unemployed, proof of your unemployment and monthly unemployment income
  • Information about your monthly expenses
• Filing fees, if you don't qualify for a fee waiver. In Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) cases, no filing fees are required on support issues.

Child Care

Topics discussed at the Family Law Facilitator's Office may not be appropriate for minor children. While child care facilities are available at each courthouse, space is limited. If you have minor children, you are encouraged to make other child care arrangements while visiting the facilitator's office. If your minor child does accompany you during your visit, please be advised that you may be asked to return at a later date if having your child with you makes it difficult to provide service.

To schedule an appointment for a workshop, visit your local Family Law Facilitator Office.