--- title: "Los Angeles divorce help without a lawyer | CourtAhead" description: "Find Los Angeles divorce help, prepare a focused service inquiry and check court resources, filing options and the next task in your case." url: "https://courtahead.com/resources/los-angeles-family-court-self-help" datePublished: "2026-08-25" dateModified: "2026-10-22" --- # Los Angeles divorce help without a lawyer Choose local help, prepare your inquiry and check the current court resources for your Los Angeles divorce task. Page updated October 22, 2026 · By CourtAhead · Sources checked October 14, 2026 with AI-assisted research. No attorney review. [Editorial standards](https://courtahead.com/editorial-standards) For help with Los Angeles divorce forms and procedure, start with the court’s current self-help service catalog and confirm it covers your task. For advice about a proposed agreement or the position to take, ask your own lawyer. Prepare the complete papers and a focused question before contacting either service. [LA Court: self-help services](https://selfhelp.lacourt.org/). ![A folded map, document folder, phone and keys arranged to prepare for local court help.](https://courtahead.com/media/articles/local-court-help-1200-3bdf926d8aaa.jpg) Illustrative visit preparation; this does not depict a particular courthouse or county map. A case already underway can bring another hearing request, financial disclosure or proposed agreement. Choose help for that next task; an inquiry or appointment does not establish that someone will represent you or handle a court deadline. ## Which local help fits your question? Choose a Los Angeles help route | What you need | Where to start and what to confirm | | --- | --- | | Understand forms or a court procedure | [LA Court self-help service catalog](https://selfhelp.lacourt.org/). Check the issue, service format and current access instructions. | | Help with child-support paperwork | The current [Family Law Facilitator page](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/family-law/tp/child-support/cp/family-law-facilitator) describes free child-support education and paperwork help. Confirm the issue and access instructions. It is separate from hiring a lawyer to advise or represent you. | | Advice about your position or proposed agreement | Ask a lawyer about a consultation or limited-scope engagement. Confirm the exact task, fee, deliverable and work you still handle. | | Help paying for representation | Use the [affordability comparison and inquiry sheet](https://courtahead.com/resources/cannot-afford-divorce-lawyer-california). Legal-aid eligibility, intake and what assistance is offered must be confirmed with the provider. | | Organize an existing case before asking for help | Use the [ongoing-case worksheet](https://courtahead.com/resources/organize-ongoing-divorce-case-california) to separate pending matters, records and missing work. | Court-based help is free for people without their own lawyer, regardless of income. Staff do not become your lawyer, choose your strategy or represent you; conversations are not attorney-client privileged. Local services vary. [California Courts: court-based self-help](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/court-based-self-help-services). Use the [divorce self-help service catalog](https://selfhelp.lacourt.org/service-catalog/C01) for legal-help service instructions. Check the current [self-help locations and hours sheet](https://lascpubstorage.blob.core.windows.net/cpw/LIBSVCSelfHelp-17-LASCSelf-HelpCentersHoursLocations.pdf); some centers do not provide family-law assistance. A clerk’s appointment is a different service; it does not arrange legal advice or a self-help appointment. Confirm the service and format before traveling. ## Prepare an inquiry before visiting Ask the service: - Do you help with this divorce issue or form? - How do I arrange help, and is the service remote or in person? - Which papers or financial information should I have available? - What language or accessibility assistance is available? - What should I check if the next available service is after the date on my papers? Keep the case number, complete connected papers and any hearing notice available. For an existing case, verify the assigned courthouse, department and hearing arrangements from the current case record. A separate filing option does not change the hearing location. > I am handling a divorce case in Los Angeles County without a lawyer. I need help with \[specific paper or task\]. My papers show \[date and source\]. Do you assist with this, how do I arrange help, and what should I have available? An inquiry is not a confirmed appointment or a changed court schedule. Keep the source of each date visible while checking options. ## Connect the help to your next task **Served with papers:** Use the [initial divorce-papers guide](https://courtahead.com/resources/responding-to-divorce-papers-california). If the packet contains a hearing request, the [FL-300 guide](https://courtahead.com/resources/received-fl-300-california) addresses that separate response task. **Your spouse has a lawyer:** Use the [communication worksheet](https://courtahead.com/resources/spouse-has-lawyer-california-divorce) to separate the message, court papers and proposed commitments before a consultation. **You need money for your own lawyer:** Use the [financial-need fee-request worksheet](https://courtahead.com/resources/request-attorney-fees-california-divorce). If someone asks you to pay their fees, use the [fee-response section](https://courtahead.com/resources/fl-320#attorney-fees) instead. Neither route establishes an award. **Preparing disclosures or a hearing:** Use the [disclosure guide](https://courtahead.com/resources/california-divorce-financial-disclosures) or [hearing checklist](https://courtahead.com/tools/california-family-court-hearing-checklist) with your current papers and official instructions. **Court costs are the problem:** A [fee-waiver request](https://courtahead.com/resources/california-family-court-fee-waivers) is separate from money for a private lawyer; the court decides what is waived. ## Prepare a small working packet Keep the complete record available and start with these materials. This is an organization aid, not an official filing checklist or provider intake requirement. Materials for a focused help conversation | Have available | Question it helps you ask | | --- | --- | | Complete papers connected to the task | What step or decision do these papers involve? | | Relevant current order and later related papers | What is already ordered, and what is only being proposed? | | Hearing notice and any service records | Which dates and procedural facts need checking? | | Missing records or conflicting information | What additional source is needed before the next task? | | Your three main questions | Does this service provide procedural help, advice or an agreed part of the work? | The [consultation preparation guide](https://courtahead.com/resources/prepare-family-court-case-for-lawyer-self-help) and [case-summary builder](https://courtahead.com/tools/california-family-court-case-summary-builder) can help organize the conversation. A summary does not replace the source papers. Afterward, record the next task, who handles it and what remains yours. [California Courts: working with a lawyer for part of a case](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/limited-scope-representation). ## Can you file at a different courthouse? The court’s Family Law File Anywhere program gives self-represented people an additional in-person option for eligible documents filed after a case starts. It uses participating locations with a regular Family Law courtroom and clerk’s office. It does not change the assigned case or hearing location. [LA Court: program and exclusions](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/apps/court-communications/news-releases/superior-court-of-los-angeles-county-introduces-family-law-file-anywhere-program-to-expand-filing-access-for-self-represented-litigants-10-08-2026-2). **A new case or a request needing a hearing is different.** The program excludes case-initiating documents and motions, Requests for Order and other papers requiring a hearing; the announcement directs hearing-requiring filings to the assigned courthouse. It also lists special exclusions for vexatious-litigant filings and peremptory challenges. Check the exact document against the current instructions rather than assuming that every family-law paper can be filed anywhere. Use the court’s linked [participating-location list](https://lascpubstorage.blob.core.windows.net/cpw/LIBOPSFamily-82-FileAnywhereResourcePage.pdf) for eligible File Anywhere documents. The list is different from the full courthouse directory and the self-help locations sheet. Electronic filing remains a separate option for eligible documents. Free action finder ## What are you trying to do? This chooser runs in your browser and does not ask for names, case numbers, dates or documents. Separate Sentry diagnostics, session replay and feedback can include information displayed or entered on this page. See our [Privacy Policy](https://courtahead.com/privacy) for details. ## Local tasks All six task explanations are available here without using the chooser. ### Find the right courthouse **Check the court location for your task.** Use the filing court locator for a possible filing location and the current directory for court services. For an existing case or hearing, check the actual case record. File Anywhere participating counters are a separate list for eligible filings. A directory or locator result does not establish your case assignment or hearing location. - [LA filing court locator](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/filinglocatornet/ui/filingsearch.aspx?CT=FA) - [LA family-law directory](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/apps/courthouse?ct=fl) ### Check a case or hearing **Use the court’s case-access and calendar systems.** Look up publicly available case information or a future family-law calendar on the court’s own systems. Keep the case number and courthouse from your papers nearby. The online calendar says it is not the official court record and may contain errors or omissions. A listed date is not a substitute for the filed notice or clerk confirmation. - [Find a case](https://ww2.lacourt.org/website/FindaCase.aspx) - [Search the family-law calendar](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/CivilCalendar/ui/mainpanel.aspx?CaseType=family) ### Get free form help **Choose a current LA self-help service.** Use the court’s self-help service catalog to check the issue, service format and access instructions. A self-help inquiry is different from a clerk appointment for court business. Self-help staff do not become your lawyer, choose a strategy or represent you. Conversations are not attorney-client privileged. - [LA self-help services](https://selfhelp.lacourt.org/) - [Court self-help explained](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/court-based-self-help-services) ### File family-law papers **Check the filing route for your document.** Self-represented people may efile eligible family-law documents. File Anywhere adds an in-person route for eligible subsequent papers at participating counters. Case-starting papers and requests requiring a hearing, including FL-300 Requests for Order, are excluded from that program; check all exclusions. An upload, provider receipt or payment does not by itself establish court acceptance. A permitted filing counter does not change the hearing location. - [Family-law efiling](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/efiling/tp/family-law-efiling) - [File Anywhere rules](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/apps/court-communications/news-releases/superior-court-of-los-angeles-county-introduces-family-law-file-anywhere-program-to-expand-filing-access-for-self-represented-litigants-10-08-2026-2) - [Clerk appointments](https://mycourtservices.lacourt.org/Appointment/Schedule) ### Request an interpreter **Request a court interpreter for a family-law matter.** The court provides interpreters at no cost for family-law matters. Check the current request instructions for the language, hearing date and location, and confirm the arrangements with the court. A submitted request does not guarantee immediate availability or establish that the hearing arrangements are confirmed. - [Request a family-law interpreter](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/InterpreterRequest/v1/) ### Prepare for custody mediation **Check the child-custody mediation instructions.** Family Court Services provides child-custody mediation. Its current page explains intake, orientation and session preparation. Check the appointment and format with Family Court Services. An intake submission or public webpage does not establish that mediation is scheduled, completed or excused. - [Child-custody mediation](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/family-court-services/tp/child-custody-mediation) The status ladder ## Use each source for the fact it can actually support. The court’s directories help identify locations and services. For an existing case or hearing, confirm the assignment from the current case record and court instructions. [See how CourtAhead separates sources and statuses →](https://courtahead.com/support/sources-and-statuses) 1. 01 Possible location **Filing court locator** A starting point based on court criteria—not proof of assignment. 2. 02 Case identity **Filed case caption** The court name and case number printed on an accepted case record. 3. 03 Scheduled event **Hearing notice and record** Check the exact date, time, courthouse, department and appearance method. 4. 04 Highest confidence **Court confirmation** The current official record, accepted copy, signed order or clerk confirmation. Court locations and services ## Check the right directory for your task Check the address and services before visiting. A courthouse listing, a self-help center and a participating filing location answer different questions. [Courthouse information **Current LA family-law courthouse directory**](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/apps/courthouse?ct=fl) [Help services **Self-help locations, hours and issue coverage**](https://lascpubstorage.blob.core.windows.net/cpw/LIBSVCSelfHelp-17-LASCSelf-HelpCentersHoursLocations.pdf) [Eligible subsequent filings **File Anywhere participating locations**](https://lascpubstorage.blob.core.windows.net/cpw/LIBOPSFamily-82-FileAnywhereResourcePage.pdf) For a hearing, verify the current notice, courthouse, department and appearance method against your case record. A service inquiry or use of another permitted filing counter does not relocate the hearing. Official sources ## Go straight to the court. This page is a route map, not a substitute for the Los Angeles Superior Court, your filed case record or advice from a qualified lawyer. [LA Court **Divorce self-help service catalog**](https://selfhelp.lacourt.org/service-catalog/C01) [LA Court **Child-support Family Law Facilitator**](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/family-law/tp/child-support/cp/family-law-facilitator) [LA Court **Family-law efiling**](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/efiling/tp/family-law-efiling) [LA Court **File Anywhere program and exclusions**](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/apps/court-communications/news-releases/superior-court-of-los-angeles-county-introduces-family-law-file-anywhere-program-to-expand-filing-access-for-self-represented-litigants-10-08-2026-2) [LA Court **Child-custody mediation**](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/family-court-services/tp/child-custody-mediation) [Los Angeles Superior Court **Family law overview**_↗_](https://www.lacourt.ca.gov/pages/lp/family-law)[California Courts **Court finder**_↗_](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/self-help/find)[California Courts **Court-based self-help services**_↗_](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/court-based-self-help-services)[California Courts **How to look up a court case**_↗_](https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/court-basics/look-up-case) Service and court-resource sources checked October 14, 2026 with AI-assisted research; no attorney review. [Read our editorial standards](https://courtahead.com/editorial-standards) or [report a correction](https://courtahead.com/contact). Keep moving ## Useful tools for the next question. [All 58 counties **California court and self-help finder**_→_](https://courtahead.com/tools/california-court-self-help-finder)[Filing returned **Family-court rejection decoder**_→_](https://courtahead.com/tools/california-family-court-filing-rejection-decoder)[Hearing scheduled **Family-court hearing checklist**_→_](https://courtahead.com/tools/california-family-court-hearing-checklist) ## After getting help Record the next task, responsible person and any unanswered question. Use the [ongoing-case worksheet](https://courtahead.com/resources/organize-ongoing-divorce-case-california) to keep that work connected to the relevant papers, orders and events. CourtAhead provides legal information, not legal advice, and is not a law firm. These resources do not arrange representation or establish an individual case result. ## Connect local help to the work ahead Keep local help connected to your case. Request early access for AI assistance with strategy, evidence and preparation for Los Angeles family court. [Request access](https://courtahead.com/early-access) [How it works](https://courtahead.com/how-it-works) **Your case** ACTIVE - Strategy - Evidence - Court papers CourtAhead is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.