Warning: Self-Help Resources are NOT legal advice and may not apply to your case. Please talk to a lawyer about the facts of your case.
There are 19 resources
Changing the Name of a Child
(Separate Website)
Includes: How do I ask the court to change my child's name? How much does it cost to change my child’s name? What if I don't know where my child's other parent is?
By: Administrative Office of the Courts
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Changing the Name of an Adult
(Separate Website)
Includes: How do I ask the court to change my name? How much does it cost to change my name? Why would a judge not let me change my name?
By: Administrative Office of the Courts
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Divorce, Legal Separation, and Annulment
(Separate Website)
This is a link to the California Courts' Self Help Website page for divorce (or dissolution) information.
By: Administrative Office of the Courts
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
English/Chinese Glossary of California Department of Social Services Terms
(Separate Website)
By: California Department of Social Services
Read this in:
Chinese / 中文
English/Spanish Glossary of California Department of Social Services Terms
(Separate Website)
By: California Department of Social Services
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
English/Vietnamese Glossary of California Department of Social Services Terms
(Separate Website)
Families & Children Forms and Instructions from the Office of the Courts
(Separate Website)
This links to different types of court forms used in family law cases.
By: Administrative Office of the Courts
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Family Law Timeline for Divorce or Legal Separation
(Separate Website)
By: Administrative Office of the Courts -- Equal Access Project
Forms and Instructions for a Summary Dissolution (Divorce)
(Separate Website)
By: Administrative Office of the Courts
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Glossary of Legal Terms
(Separate Website)
A Glossary of terms from the California Courts Self-Help Center
By: Judicial Council of California
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Going to Court Without a Lawyer
(Separate Website)
A guide for handling uncontested divorce, legal separation, and annulment.
By: Administrative Office of the Courts -- Center for Families, Children, and the Courts
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
How's Your Legal Health?
(Separate Website)
Legal Health Checklist
By: The State Bar of California
Legal Document Assistants (LDAs)
(Separate Website)
A Legal Document Assistant is NOT a Lawyer. By law, they cannot give you legal advice or represent you in the courts in any matter. An LDA is a professional who is authorized to prepare legal documents for a client, but only at the direction of the client.
By: California Association of Legal Document Assistants (CALDA)
Obtaining Certified Copies of Marriage & Divorce Records
(Separate Website)
Certified copies of actual divorce decrees are only available from the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was filed. The Office of Vital Records can only issue a Certificate of Record - and only for divorces that occurred between 1962 and June 1984.
By: California Department of Public Health
Public Law Library of Orange County
(Separate Website)
Open to the public, the county law library provides legal information material and resources held in its collection for your research.
By: Council of California County Law Librarians
Response to Dissolution -- Forms with Instructions
(Separate Website)
By: Administrative Office of the Courts -- Equal Access Project
Seniors and The Law: An A-Z Guide for Maturing Californians
(Separate Website)
A guide for seniors confronting issues such as finances and debt, housing and caregiving, elder abuse and scams, divorce and remarriage, and estate planning.
By: The State Bar of California
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
What Can A Lawyer Referral Service Do For Me?
(Separate Website)
Adobe Acrobat Reader required. (If you are using a screen reader that does not support PDF format, copy the PDF link, and use the Access Adobe online form to convert this file to HMTL text.)
LawHelpCA Home
(Separate Website)
(Separate Website)
Choose Another Location
