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Family Court Pro Se Facilitator
Location:1200 Franklin Street, Vancouver, WA (1st floor of Courthouse)
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
A fee of $20.00 must be paid to the Clerk's Office prior to your visit with the Court Facilitator. We accept cash, credit or debit cards but no personal checks. Be sure to take your receipt with you for verification. If you provide proof that you are on state assistance, such as medical coupons or food stamps, you may pay a reduced fee of $10 for an appointment..
The Facilitator is available for In-person assistance only, no telephone calls are accepted.
Scheduled Appointments: Are scheduled daily for up to 30 minutes each. In order to schedule an appointment, the appropriate fee of $20 or $10 for those on assistance must be paid. You may come in to set your appointment time with the cashier or call (360) 397 2292 to use a credit or debit card for the fee. Appointment times are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. We require 24 hour advance notice in order to cancel and reschedule an appointment.
First Come/First Serve Walk in Appointments: Walk in clients are accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.If you choose a walk in time between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., please sign-in on the chart located on the table in the waiting area inside of the Court Facilitator's office when you arrive.
What does the Family Court Facilitator provide?
The Family Law Facilitator helps people who do not have a lawyer. The Family Court Facilitator is provided to the public at a minimal fee, as a service of the Clark County Superior Court Clerk's Office. The Facilitator is not an attorney nor qualified to give legal advice in any particular case. The Facilitator's role is to inform people about basic court requirements. For example, the Facilitator can try to answer your simple questions about how to get a case filed in court and where a hearing will be held. The Facilitator can tell you when forms might be incomplete and, therefore, not ready for filing.
The Facilitator can provide information only on the following issues:
- Dissolution (Divorce)
- Paternity (Support and/or Custody-Parenting Plan when parents are not married)
- Modification of Child Support and/or Custody-Parenting Plan
- Contempt
- Step-Parent Adoption
- Non Parental/Third Party Custody
- Relocation
The Facilitator is available to answer the same kinds of questions for your spouse or opposing party, even though the Facilitator has discussed the case with you. It is important to keep in mind the following:
- The Facilitator cannot give you legal advice, help you with legal strategy, or tell you how your case will come out.
- The Facilitator cannot take sides.
- The Facilitator is not responsible for the accuracy of the information you have in any forms or papers you file or use in court.
- The Facilitator does not and can not represent you.
All cases are serious. You are advised to consult an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney ask the Facilitator to suggest any community legal services that may be available to you.
Where to get forms:
| Clark County Clerk's Office Sells the Following Packets: | Free Checklist Available | Download Forms for Free at the Following Web site: |
| Dissolution with Children $35 | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org | |
| Dissolution with No Children $20 | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
| Domestic Partnership with Children $35 | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
| Domestic Partnership without Children $25 | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
| Establishing a Parenting Plan and/or Child Support $25 | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
| Establishing Paternity $35 | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
| Modification of Child Support $20 | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
| Modification of Parenting Plan $20 | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
| Non-Parental Custody $35 | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
| Relocation $10 | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
| Step-Parent Adoption $20 | Checklist When Consenting Checklist When Non-consenting |
not available |
| Information for the Following Family Law Matters: | ||
| Certification - needed for finalization of dissolution per local court rule 11(a) | Free form | |
| Citation - used to schedule court hearing | Free form | |
| Contempt of Court Actions | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
| Domestic Partnership Rights | Information | |
| Family Law Handbook | Handbook | http://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/ |
| Financial Declaration - required by court in some situations | Free form | |
| General Information for Parties Acting Pro Se (without an attorney) | Information | |
| Guardian ad Litem Registry - Adoption | List | |
| Miscellaneous Forms | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
| Temporary Orders | Checklist | www.courts.wa.gov/forms; www.washingtonlawhelp.org |
Other Resources for Forms:
Free Forms and Explanations at www.washingtonlawhelp.org
Free Forms and Explanations at Washington Courts Web site www.courts.wa.gov/forms
Clark County Law Library, 1st Floor of the Courthouse, 1200 Franklin Street, Vancouver, WA. Library Hours: Open daily *10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. *Hours will change beginning January 4, 2010, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. They have master forms that can be copied on site for 15 cents per page. Link to law library Web page.
Fort Vancouver Regional Library, 1007 East Mill Plain Boulevard, Vancouver, WA. Call for hours at (360) 695-1566. Copies are 10 cents per page.
Other Agencies that Can be of Service in Family Law Matters:
| Northwest Justice Project/CLEAR 1-888-201-1014 Web site: www.nwjustice.org Hours: Monday - Friday 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Tuesday - 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Local Office: 500 West 8th Street #275, Vancouver, WA |
Volunteer Lawyers Intake Phone Calls: Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Phone: (360) 695-5313 |
DSHS Division of Child Support 5411 East Mill Plain Boulevard, #3 Vancouver, WA Phone: (360) 397-2265 |
| Clark County Prosecutor's Office - Child Support Division 800 Franklin Street #100 Vancouver, WA Phone: (360) 397-2265 |
YWCA of Clark County 3609 Main Street Vancouver, WA Phone: (360) 695-0167 Domestic Violence Phone: (360) 695-0501 |
Domestic Partnerships can be registered with the Secretary of State's Office in Olympia effective July 22, 2007. Please go to the following Web site for forms and information: www.secstate.wa.gov/corps/domesticpartnerships/
If you have further questions or need further assistance, please call the Clerk's Office at (360) 397-2292.
