Unless you are a compulsive litigant, the world of legal courts is alien to most people. The court system (especially in family law) has its own terminology and language, and its own court forms. Family law is governed by State Law as opposed to federal law, meaning each state has its own law, which is set up at the county level throughout that State. The levels of court forms are state-level and county-specific and are periodically updated and statewide approved. Make sure you have the updated forms.
Most forms have three parts: The heading, body, and signature block at the bottom. The heading includes the party preparing the form, the address of the court where the case is being filed, the names of parties involved or litigants, and area for the court stamp, that includes the case number.
The body of the form will be broken down into subcategories based on what form is used. At the bottom of each form in the footer of the page will be the name of the form and will indicate the purpose of the form.
The signature block is where a party signs under penalty of perjury and dates the form.
