Provides support to the Family and Juvenile Division of the Thurston County Superior Court.

Court staff can provide: 
 - the status of a specific case, unless the case is "confidential,"; 
 - general information on court rules, procedures and practices; 
 - court-approved forms; 
 - court schedules and information on how to get matters scheduled.

Staff cannot: 
 - provide advice about whether one should file a case, or what actions they should take in the case; 
 - words to put in a form; 
 - advise anyone on what to say in court; 
 - speculate about what decision the judge might make or what sentence the judge might impose.

Family and Juvenile Division offered at Thurston County Clerk - Family and Juvenile Division

Provides support to the Family and Juvenile Division of the Thurston County Superior Court.

Programs that provide information and guidance and/or representation in court proceedings for individuals who have been abused in an intimate relationship and/or for people who are facing a summary conviction offence or criminal charge for perpetrating abuse. Included are domestic violence law clinics and other legal assistance programs that represent victims of domestic abuse at restraining order hearings or in other civil or criminal actions involving charges against an abuser. Most also represent the person's interests in complexities that arise as part of the legal process such as restitution, payment of debts or child support, custody and visitation and property control. Some programs may also represent victims of domestic abuse who have been charged with a crime and/or handle cases involving accusations of child abuse filed by one parent against the other, abuse of an elderly person by an adult child or abuse of an adult child by a parent.

Domestic/Family Violence Legal Services

The offices of individuals who have been appointed or elected to a town, city, county or other local public office for a specified tenure and who are thereby in a position to exercise that portion of the sovereign functions of government that are conferred on that office. Forty-eight of the 50 states have operational county governments. Connecticut and Rhode Island are divided into geographic regions called counties, but they do not have functioning governments. Alaska calls its counties boroughs and Louisiana calls them parishes. Cities and towns may also have other designations including townships, boroughs and villages.

Local Officials Offices

Programs that provide assistance for people age 14 to 18 who are managing their own financial affairs, whose income is derived from activities not considered criminal, who are willing to live apart from their parents or guardians with their consent, and who want to petition the court to be considered over the age of majority. People younger than age 18 are automatically considered emancipated if they have entered into a valid marriage (whether or not the marriage was terminated by dissolution) or if they are on active duty with any of the armed forces.

Emancipation of Minors

Programs that provide assistance for women who want to initiate litigation to prove that a particular individual is the father of a given child and to enforce support obligations, or for men who want to establish that they are not the father of a particular child.

Paternity Suits

Programs that provide assistance for people who want to obtain custody of their children as a part of a divorce or separation action, who want to appeal all or a portion of the terms of a previous child custody decision, or in the case of a noncustodial parent, who want to establish or appeal the terms of a visitation award or a court-ordered visitation schedule. Included are programs that provide child custody/visitation assistance for people who are not legally married but have children together.