Family and safety

This interview helps you fill out up to 8 forms you need to ask the court for a 209A restraining order. A 209A order is a court order that can protect you from someone who has abused you. The order can make the abuser stay away from you, your home, and your children. The order can also make the abuser pay you money. This interview is free to file and takes most people about 1 and 1/2 hours to complete.

If the plaintiff already has a domestic violence abuse prevention (restraining order), this interview can help ask the court to change or end it.

The change can be to add or remove restrictions. For example: you can use this interview to ask the judge to add protection for your pets if you did not include this in your original petition.

After you file the motion this interview makes, the court will schedule a hearing. It may take 1-2 weeks for the hearing where you can explain why you need the order changed or ended to the judge.

You can use this interview to make an Affidavit Disclosing Care or Custody Proceedings to tell the judge about:

• Any other cases that the child or children are in now
• Any other cases that the child has been in before
• The names of the people, like the child's parents, who are involved in those cases
• The names of attorneys, guardians ad litem, or other people who are involved in those cases

The form that this interview makes may already be included in other interviews on this site.

If you are having trouble paying child support, this interview can help you understand your rights and options. It will also help you gather the information you need to ask the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) or the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) office to review your case.

If you are filing an appeal in the Massachusetts Appeals Court, you can use this interview to make a Civil Docketing Statement. This form is required for all appeals.

The Civil Docketing Statement is a form that provides the court with information about your case. The form asks for information about the parties involved, the nature of the case, and the relief you are seeking. The form also asks for information about the attorneys involved in the case.

If the court has created a Child Requiring Assistance (CRA) case against a child, you can use this form to ask the court to dismiss it.

If you need a decision from the judge in an existing case in the Probate and Family court, you can use this interview to make a motion to the judge.

A motion is a request for the judge to make a decision about something important in your case. This interview can help you make a motion about anything in the case. For example, to ask for more time to respond to a court paper, or to dismiss the case, or to ask for a temporary order.

This interview helps you fill out a form (TC0020) to ask the court for permission to get married without waiting the usual 3 days.

Both you and your partner need to sign this form at the same time.

If you are the parent or guardian of a minor (someone younger than 18), you can use this form to legally change the minor's legal name.

You need to tell the judge why you need the name change. But "it is the name that I use" is a good reason.

This interview makes the "Petition for Change of Name of a Minor" form to file with the court. You must also separately make:

• The Court Activity Record Information form
• The Affidavit Disclosing Care or Custody Proceedings form

If you are over 18 and live in Massachusetts, you can use this form to change your name on official documents.

The court will ask for the reason for your name change, but "it is the name that I use" is enough reason.

If your name change is part of affirming your expressed gender identity, you can file a separate request to change your gender markers on official documents. This interview does not help you make the request to change your gender markers.

After you finish the interview you need to sign the petition in front of a notary and file it with the court.

If it is not safe for you to be in your home with your spouse or co-parent, this interview helps you ask the court to order the other side in your family law case to:

• leave your home or
• stay away from your home if they already left