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Self Service Center Home

This section tells you about:

• How to navigate this site
• How to get information about the courts
• Other things you can do at this site
• Basic Internet terminology

• How to navigate this site

The menu on your left has a list of topics. Click on the topic you are interested in. For example, to learn more about family law, click on “Family.” When you move into another section of the site, such as the Family Law section, the links on the left will change.

At the top of the left-side menu, there is a title (next to the red square) that tells you where you are on the site. You will also see that in the upper right side.

To go back to the Home page, click on the California seal. Or, click “Self Service Home” in the upper right menu. This menu also lets you go to the Glossary, Search, Site Map, Feedback, and Contact sections of this site.
 

• How to get information about the courts:

  The Superior Court is divided into separate, smaller courts. Each one deals with a different area of the law. And, each one has its own section on this site to tell about key concepts, processes, and related resources.
  
  The different courts are listed on the left hand menu on the home page and on this page.
  
  Click on one to learn more about:

  • Civil

  • Criminal

  • Family

  • Juvenile (Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Dependency)

  • Traffic

  • Small Claims

  • Probate Court

  Once you click on a type of court, you can:
  
  1) Look at the list of topics on the left menu. If you find what you are looking for, click on it, or
  
  2) Check the list on the Sitemap page. It has the titles of all the pages on the site. Click on the one that is most like what you want to know, or
  
  3) Use the Search page. Do this if you want to learn about a specific term or process, but you don’t know what court area or topic to look at. Click the “Search” link at the top of any page. Enter key words, then click “Start Search.” The page will show a list of links that might help you. Choose a link and click on it.

  Each division of the court (Civil, Criminal, etc.) has an Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. There is also a general FAQ page for questions that are not specific to a particular division, such as questions regarding court transcripts or judicial weddings.

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• Other things you can do at this site

  Look at the upper right menu to see what else you can do on this site. Chose a function by clicking on it. These functions include:

  Home   Click on “Home” at any time to go back to the Self Service site's Homepage.

  Glossary   Click on “Glossary” to learn what a word or phrase means. When you click, another window will open. You can use the window to search for a specific word or phrase, or to look through the glossary in alphabetical order.
  
  If you want to search for something specific, click “Phrase Search” on the top menu. Enter your word or phrase, then click “Submit.” To look through the glossary, click “Alphabet Search,” then click on a letter. The window will show a list of terms starting with that letter, and a definition for each. When you are finished, click “Close” on the top menu. For a description of online glossary links, see Links, below.

  Search   See description of search function in #3, above.

  Feedback   Click on “Feedback” to fill out a quick survey about this site or to submit feedback to the court. Your information will help us improve this site and better serve your needs.

  Site Map   Click on “Site Map” to get a list of all the pages at this site.

  Contact Us   Click on “Contact Us” to read about ways to contact the court.
   

• Basic Internet terminology

  Here are some special Internet words that will help you use this site.

  Browser   A browser is a window that opens on your screen when you connect to the Internet. You can open more than one browser at a time. Click and hold on the bottom right corner of the window and drag the mouse to make any browser bigger or smaller. To close a browser, go to the “File” menu and choose “Exit.” Or, click the “X” in the small box at the top right corner of the window.

  Menu  A menu lists topics or functions. Sometimes, when you bring the mouse cursor over one of the menu items, the words change color and your cursor changes from an arrow to a small hand. When you click on one of the items, something happens. On this site, the main menu is on your left. It shows different topics about the court. You can click on one of these topics to get more information.

  Links   On this site, links are highlighted words in the text.

  Green words are links to the glossary. If you click on a green word, you can see a definition of that word. Blue, underlined words are links to other parts of this site or to other sites on the Internet. If you click on a link that goes to a page at another site or to a form (PDF), a new window will open. You can close it by going to the “File” menu and choosing “Exit.” Or, click the “X” in the small box at the top right corner of the window. You will still have one window open to this Self Service site.

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