Legal Information

Legal Information (Not Legal Advice)

The Court cannot give you legal advice or refer you to a lawyer. If you came to the Court's website seeking advice on California law, you should instead consult with a lawyer licensed by the State Bar of California.

The California State Bar certifies lawyer referral services that can put you in touch with a lawyer who can assist you with your situation. Even if your particular problem can be resolved without a lawyer, a certified referral service will tell you how to get the help you need. A lawyer referral service may offer low-cost or no-cost options to qualifying persons. In order to find a certified lawyer referral service, please consult the California State Bar website. Additional resources may also be described in specific areas of our website and on the website of the Judicial Council of California.

If you have a complaint relating to alleged criminal activity, please contact the local law enforcement agency for your area, such as the police or sheriff, or the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.

Our website provides summary information and educational materials as a pubic service, but they may not apply to your particular circumstances. Remember, this website cannot take the place of advice from a lawyer.

Some things the court staff CAN do for you:

  • We CAN explain and answer questions about how the court works.
  • We CAN provide you with the number of the local lawyer referral service, legal services program, family law facilitator program, and other services where you can get legal information.
  • We CAN give you general information about court rules, procedures, and practices.
  • We CAN provide court schedules and information on how to get a case scheduled.
  • We CAN provide you information from your case file.
  • We CAN provide you with court forms and instructions that are available.
  • We CAN usually answer questions about court deadlines and how to compute them.

Some things the court staff CANNOT do for you:

  • We CANNOT give legal advice or answer legal questions. If you plan to proceed with your case without an attorney, the County Law Library has the reference material to assist you. There is a Law Library in downtown San Diego at 1105 Front Street, 619-531-3900 or view the list of Law Libraries in San Diego County.
  • We CANNOT tell you whether or not you should bring your case to court.
  • We CANNOT tell you what words to use in your court papers. (However, we can check your papers for completeness. For example, we check for signatures, notarization, correct county name, correct case number, and presence of attachments.)
  • We CANNOT tell you what to say in court.
  • We CANNOT give you an opinion about what will happen if you bring your case to court.
  • We CANNOT talk to the judge for you.
  • We CANNOT let you talk to the judge outside of court.
  • We CANNOT change an order signed by a judge.
  • We CANNOT tell you if you should attend traffic school.
  • We CANNOT tell you information regarding your DMV record.
  • We CANNOT tell you how to proceed with your case.

Obtaining an Attorney

We cannot recommend an attorney. For the name of an attorney who can provide you with legal advice regarding your case, the following Lawyer Referral and Information Services provide referral assistance at no charge:

No-charge referral services:

If you would like to be represented by an attorney but cannot afford one, contact the Legal Aid Society or the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program: