Use the dropdown menu to hide and show different types of related content.
Definitions
All
Articles
Definitions
Articles
Definitions
Fee Waiver
A fee waiver is an application open to those who cannot afford to pay court fees or any related legal fees, such as filing a petition or filing an appearance. You will need to have the following information to apply for a fee waiver: the public benefits you receive, such as LINK/SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, or SSI the amount income you earned last month,
Filing a petition is the process through which the majority of civil court cases begin. In order for a petition to be heard by a judge in court, a notice of summons must be properly served to the opposing party. Generally speaking, petitions must be filed electronically through the Clerk of Court's website – see here. The party that files the
Filing an appearance is the next step for the respondent to a civil court case to take after the petitioner to the case files a petition and serves the respondent with a notice of summons. An appearance is a document that confirms the respondent will either be represented by an attorney, or represent themselves as their own attorney (pro se) during
A notice of motion is a written request to the courts that a issue a specific court order, or a judgement regarding a particular aspect of the case. Examples of common motions include: a motion to modify a child support order a motion to enforce parenting time (visitation rights); or a motion to appeal a divorce judgementIn order for a notice of
A notice of summons is a document that is filed when the petitioner starts a civil court case through filing a petition. The summons notifies the respondent that they have 30 days to file their appearance. The respondent must be properly served the notice of summons, or else the entire case may be considered invalid.
The petitioner to a civil court case is the person who first filed a petition and a notice of summons to start the court case. Similarly, the person to whom the petition and summons was addressed to is the respondent to the case. The petitioner and respondent to a case will continue to be the petitioner and respondent throughout the duration of th
The respondent to a civil court case is the person who first received a notice of summons and therefore is required to file their appearance in order to schedule their first court date. The person who originally filed the summons and the original petition is called the petitioner to the case. The petitioner and respondent to a case will continue t
Service of process is a requirement for filling a notice of summons or a notice of motion. It refers to the process through which the recipient of the summons or notice is made personally aware of the case or of the changes to the case.There are three primary ways to conduct service of process when filing a petition or notice of motion:through the
It is no secret that hiring a private attorney is expensive. Recognizing this, some private attorneys offer a cheaper arrangement for providing legal help. One such arrangement is called limited scope representation (AKA unbundled, or a la carte legal services). This article provides an overview of limited scope representation – what it is, and wha
This article offers an overview of what it means to quash service. The word "quash" is used to mean something is invalid. Quashing service refers to the process of filing a motion to tell the courts you believe there was invalid service of process in your case. Below, we discuss when and how a person can make a request to quash service to help thei
If you wish to resolve your legal problem in court, you may be required to pay court fees. The requirement to pay court fees depends on the type of legal problem you would like the courts to help with. In this article, we will cover when individuals will have to pay court fees. Additionally, we discuss what to do if you can't afford your court fees