3. Go to court

You and your partner might still not be able to agree on your family law issues even with the help of a family law professional. If this is your situation, one of you will have to start a family law court case.

Family Law Guided Pathways: Form 8

Fill out court forms for cases about children, support, and property in separation or divorce

Going to court can be a complicated process and it can take a lot of time. It can be stressful and expensive, but it is sometimes necessary to decide your issues.

This family law court process flowchart explains each step in a family law court case. It tells you what happens and what you have to do if you start a court case or if you’re responding to a court case your partner started.

A family court makes decisions using the family law rules and laws. A judge looks at the facts of your case to make decisions about things like decision-making responsibility, parenting time, child support, spousal support, and dividing property. Decision-making responsibility and parenting time used to be called custody and access.

You can talk to a lawyer who can help you understand what the law says you have to do after you separate or divorce and what you can get. A lawyer can also explain your options and help you through the process.

If you can’t afford to hire a lawyer for your whole case, some lawyers will provide “unbundled” or “limited scope” services. This means you pay them to help you with part of your case.

If you can’t afford to hire a lawyer at all, you may be able to find legal help in other places.