Clerk’s Office staff can assist you with some inquiries, but they are not authorized to provide you with legal advice. In general, legal advice is advice about what the law is; how to succeed in your case; how to interpret the Constitution, statutes, rules or other sources of law.  Only a licensed attorney can give legal advice.

Court staff must remain impartial at all times.  This means that court staff cannot take sides in any matter before the court. This basic rule protects everyone coming to court, including you, from unfairness and injustice.

In addition to being unable to provide litigants with legal advice, Clerk’s Office staff are not allowed to:  

• Advise in what court you should file your case.
• Make recommendations about what you should do or suggest ways to help you win your case.
• Give an opinion on what the outcome of your case may be.
• Fill out or correct forms for you.
• Conduct legal research for you.
• Explain the legal meaning or effect of a court order.
• Interpret the law or rules for you.
• Let you speak to a judge outside of a court hearing.
• Predict how or when a judge may decide an issue or issue a ruling.
• Tell you whether a hearing will be set in your case.
• Give you free copies of documents.

Court staff can give the same limited information to people on both sides of a case, such as:

• Answer general questions about how the court works.
• Give general information about court rules, terminology, procedures and practices.
• Provide or refer you to available court forms.
• Provide general information from your case, such as certain deadlines or whether an order has entered.