The article below is for filers without lawyers. The article contains available resources for assistance with legal help and forms. If you are unable to find the correct forms or help, it is recommended to find your court's local website or contact the court for assistance.
If you don't have a lawyer and need to represent yourself in court, you are called a self-represented litigant or a pro se or pro per party.
For state-specific versions of this article, click on your state: California, Georgia, Illinois, Texas
Do you need help finding what documents to file?
Option 1: Click here to see if your state has a Guide & File site. Guide & File is a free online service to help you fill out forms to send to court by answering questions online. You still may have to pay standard court filing fees to file your forms with the court. You can e-file online directly at the end of some of the Guide & File interviews. (If you can't e-file at the end, save your documents and follow the instructions in the next section to e-file.)
Option 2: If your state does not have a Guide & File site or you don't find what you need on your state's site, visit LawHelp.org to find the right forms and information about law help in your state. After you prepare your documents, follow the instructions in the next section to file them online.
Do you have your documents ready but need to e-file them online?
- Make sure your documents are in PDF format for e-filing. Click here to learn how to turn them into PDFs.
- Visit your state's eFile site to file your documents online electronically. If you created an account on your state's Guide & File site, you can use the same login on the eFile site.
- To learn how to file a new case, watch a video or click here to read how.
- To learn how to file into an existing case, watch a video or click here to read how.
Do you need more legal help?
Click the links below for more information.