Skip to content

Courts and procedure

Self-help center

Also called family law facilitator

A court service that gives free legal information and help with forms to people who don't have a lawyer.[1]

In more detail

California's courts say every superior court offers some help to people without a lawyer, in person, by phone or online, though the services vary by county.[1] California's courts describe the service as free legal information and suggest a lawyer when you need legal advice.[2]

Varies by state

Court self-help services differ by state and county. Find your state’s rules.

Related terms

  • Pro seRepresenting yourself in a court case without a lawyer.
  • Clerk of courtThe court officer who manages the flow of cases and keeps the court's records.
  • Court interpreterA qualified interpreter who interprets court proceedings for someone who doesn't speak or understand English well, or who is deaf or hard of hearing.

Read next on MediationList

Sources

The official documents this definition is based on, with the date we last read each one. Definitions are in our own words.

  1. Help at your courtselfhelp.courts.ca.govchecked ↩
  2. Request for Order (form FL-300): what these papers meanselfhelp.courts.ca.govchecked ↩

General information, not legal advice. MediationList is not a law firm. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Cite this page

Page updated

MediationList. (2026, October 28). Self-help center: Definition. https://mediationlist.com/glossary/self-help-center/

APA 7th ed. A retrieval date is included only for pages whose content changes, such as maps, data and tools.