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Dec
17

Family Law Facilitators

If you do not have an attorney, Family Law Facilitators can help with the family law process.
Family Law Facilitators can review your completed forms, but cannot fill them out for you.

Facilitators provide information about family law court procedures and instructions for filling out the family law paperwork listed below:

  • Divorce or legal separation

  • Family law motions

  • Child support modifications

  • Establishing a parenting plan

  • Minor guardianship

  • Adult guardianship

  • Temporary orders

  • Enforcing court orders (contempt)

  • Parenting plan modifications

  • Child support adjustment

  • Restraining orders

Facilitators cannot:
  • Help with other types of legal matters outside of these Family Court actions.
  • Provide legal advice.
  • Help you if you already have a lawyer.

Family Law Help Desk (Walk-up Windows)

Facilitators at our help desk can answer your questions about family court procedures, give you instruction packets and/or the forms you need, or briefly review your completed paperwork before you file it with the clerk’s office.  
Walk-in customers are seen on a first-come, first-served basis. We see about 90 people a day. The location and hours for the help desk in each courthouse can be found below.

Walk-In hours – Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent - 401 Fourth Avenue North, Kent, WA 98032:

9 am to noon and 1 to 4 pm, Monday and Wednesday 

Help desk located at A-1222 (Across from the Family Law Courtrooms on the First Floor) In-person, Zoom, or phone appointments for this location are scheduled Tuesdays and Thursdays.

 

Walk-In hours – King County Courthouse in Seattle - 516 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104:

9 am to noon and 1 to 4 pm, Tuesday and Thursday [See scheduled closure information above]

Help desk located at W-291 (Same hallway as Family Law Courtrooms on the Second Floor) In-person, Zoom, or phone appointments for this location are scheduled Mondays and Wednesdays.

Facilitator Appointments

Our walk-up windows are our main source for helping the public. Facilitators will not answer questions or give information by phone or email. We offer scheduled appointments for specific types of matters only (see our appointments page for more information). Facilitators cannot provide legal advice. 

How to prepare to meet with a Facilitator (either at the walk-in desk or at an appointment)

We can:
  • Review paperwork you have completed or mostly completed.
  • Identify and help locate state or local forms to use in Family Law or guardianship cases.
  • Explain the steps (procedures) you must complete to respond to court pleadings or notice of a court hearing filed by the other party.
  • Provide instruction and review for how to prepare for an upcoming Family Law trial if you schedule your appointment after your pre-trial conference and have a case schedule order available for review.
  • Compute child support calculations.
We cannot:
  • Fill out forms for you.
  • Tell you what to write in your forms or declarations.
  • Represent a party in court.
  • Assist attorneys or anyone who is represented by an attorney.
  • Give legal advice.

Walk-up window & In-person appointments

You must complete your forms to the best of your ability and bring them with you to meet with the facilitator.

Virtual appointments

You must provide copies of your paperwork to the facilitators by email at least 7 days before your appointment. If you do not provide your documents in advance, we may need to reschedule your appointment. Please send whole documents in PDF or Word format. Links or pictures are not accepted.
 

Appointment Scheduling

Your appointment will be cancelled if you schedule for a consultation the Facilitators are unable to provide. Only the listed types of matters qualify for an in-person appointment. If you want something that is not listed, you must come to the walk-in windows.

If both parties are self-represented and you want to end your case by agreement, or if the other party has not responded and you want to finish your case by default, you must set an appointment with us. We cannot help you during walk-in hours.

Appointments are Available for:

  • Ending your divorce or parenting plan (paternity already determined) case by agreement or default
  • Starting a Minor Guardianship
  • Completing Annual Reports in an Adult Guardianship
  • Trial Preparation
  • Any matter for which an interpreter is required

You must complete all of your paperwork before the Facilitator can assist you. If submitting agreed final orders, unless the Respondent waived notice or you are finalizing by default, both parties must sign all final documents.

At the appointment, the facilitator will review your proposed final orders (Note: proposed final orders are different from the documents you filed to start your case). If all documents are complete and ready, we will process the documents and get them signed by a judicial officer. This can take up to a week. Once your papers are signed, this will end your case.

If your papers are incomplete or unsigned at the time of your appointment, you will be given directions on how to fix any issues and will have to set a return appointment.

Note when finalizing by default:

If you are finalizing by default, you must file the proof of service documents. If the Respondent has not had the appropriate amount of time to respond since being served, you will not be able to finalize your case.

Divorce cases

There is a 90-day waiting period to finalize your case. The 90-day period starts on the date of service/joinder, or date of filing (whichever is later). You must sign a Declaration in Lieu of Formal Proof form when submitting agreed final divorce documents. If you and the other party agree on everything the facilitators can present your proposed final documents after the 91st day.

Cases involving children

You must complete and sign all of the following: parenting plan, child support order, and child support worksheet. Both parties must also attend and complete the "What about the Children" parenting seminar. The court will not sign your final orders without the class being completed.

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