Court Procedure
What to do after receiving California court papers
Identify the document, calendar deadlines, preserve evidence, and find the right court resources.
Read article →Important: Information, not legal advice.This site provides general legal information and links to resources. It does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney. Laws, regulations, forms, and deadlines can change. Verify current information with California Courts.
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Start with the area closest to your situation.
01
Civil Litigation
Lawsuits, defenses, discovery, evidence, judgments, jurisdiction, and procedure.
California Courts →02
Housing & Eviction
Landlord-tenant issues, notices, eviction procedure, housing disputes, and resources.
Housing resources →04
Criminal Law
General criminal-court information, procedures, and finding legal help.
Criminal resources →05
Small Claims
California small-claims procedures, filing information, and court resources.
Small claims →07
Probate & Estates
Wills, estates, probate, conservatorships, and related court information.
Probate →08
Personal Injury
General information about injury claims, negligence, damages, and civil cases.
Civil case guide →09
Consumer Issues
Consumer protection, fraud, debt, insurance and complaint resources.
Consumer resources →10
Veterans & Military
VA benefits, disability, accreditation, California veteran services, and legal help.
Veteran resources →11
Animal Rights & Law
Animal cruelty, neglect, animal control, ownership, bites, and related law.
Animal resources →12
Crypto & Digital Assets
California crypto regulation, exchanges, scams, digital assets, and consumer issues.
Crypto resources →🇺🇸 Veterans & Military
California and federal starting points for veterans and service members.
Organize a ClaimBuild a timeline and preserve decisions, notices and supporting records.
Read guides →
Read guides →
🐾 Animal Rights & Animal Law
Starting points for California animal-related legal questions.
California Legislative InformationSearch California statutes and bills, including animal-related provisions.
California Attorney GeneralState law-enforcement and consumer information.
California Department of Public HealthAnimal-bite and rabies information.
California Animal Health & Food SafetyState animal-health and regulatory information.
Animal Legal & Historical CenterAnimal-law research resource.
ASPCAAnimal protection and cruelty/neglect education.
₿ Crypto & Digital Assets
Plain-English starting points for California digital-asset legal issues.
Crypto matters can involve California financial regulation, federal securities and commodities law, tax rules, consumer protection, fraud, and rapidly changing regulations. This section is informational—not investment, tax, or legal advice.
California DFALCalifornia's Digital Financial Assets Law regulates certain crypto activities and provides DFPI licensing and enforcement authority.
DFPI →
DFPI →
Crypto FraudPreserve wallet addresses, transaction hashes, screenshots, messages, receipts and account records.
Read guide →
Read guide →
Crypto BusinessesCovered businesses may have California licensing obligations; verify current requirements with DFPI.
Current rules →
Current rules →
Official California Resources
Primary sources are the best place to verify current rules and procedures.
California CourtsJudicial branch, courts, forms, rules and services.
California Courts Self-HelpLegal information, forms, case guidance and court services.
Find a Self-Help CenterLocate court-based legal information services.
Forms & RulesJudicial Council forms and California Rules of Court.
California Legislative InformationCodes, statutes, bills and legislative materials.
State Bar — Need Legal Help?Resources for finding legal assistance.
Free / Low-Cost Legal HelpCalifornia Courts' guide to self-help, legal aid and referral resources.
LawHelpCAFind legal aid and nonprofit legal assistance.
California Legal Resource Blog
Plain-English explainers. Each article should be reviewed before publication.
Veterans
How to organize a VA benefits claim
A practical approach to timelines, notices, decisions and supporting records.
Read article →Crypto
What to do after a crypto scam
Evidence preservation, verified platform contacts and reporting starting points.
Read article →Housing
California eviction: understanding the basic process
Notices, unlawful detainer actions, responses and court resources.
California Courts →Animal Law
California animal cruelty and neglect: where to start
Safety, reporting, evidence and the difference between public enforcement and private disputes.
Resources →Civil
Why legal deadlines depend on the claim
Different claims can have different statutes and procedural deadlines.
Read article →Need free or low-cost legal help?
California superior courts have court-based self-help programs. The type and amount of help varies by court. California Courts also provides information about legal aid and referral services.
Find legal help →