Forms

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California courts use a lot of forms to get key information from the people in a lawsuit to the judge who is going to decide the case.  There are certain things the law says a judge has to know about your case, and using a form will help make sure that you cover all the points.  Also, you can learn something about what you need to do just by reading the forms.

Some of these forms have been created by the state’s Judicial Council (the governing body of the California courts), and some have been created by the local courts.

To get the forms that you need for your case, click on the link below that best describes your court case.  But first, you may wish to watch this: Introduction to Judicial Council Forms.

Judicial Council Forms: Adoption Divorce Child Custody Child Support Parentage Spousal Support Domestic Violence Guardianship Residential Evictions Small Claims Traffic More Judicial Council forms  Local Contra Costa County Court Forms

On the bottom left corner of the Judicial Council form – in small print – there is the name of the form, the date it was revised, and whether people have to use it for their court case or not. If it says “mandatory”, you must use that form. If it says “optional” you can use it, but you don’t have to.

The court may use a few letters to stand for a whole word, or a group of words.
To learn the meaning of these abbreviations, click here.