Civil Self-Help

Self-Help Legal Services - Restraining Orders

A civil harassment restraining order is a court order that helps protect people from violence, stalking, serious harassment, or threats of violence. You can ask for a civil harassment restraining order if:

• A person has abused (or threatened to abuse), sexually assaulted, stalked, or seriously harassed you, and
• You are scared or seriously annoyed or harassed.

Generally, for civil harassment restraining orders, the person you want to restrain is not:

• Your spouse/partner or former spouse/partner,
• Someone you dated at any point, or
• A close relative (parent, child, brother, sister, grandmother, grandfather, in-law).

If you have a close relationship like one of these, consider whether a domestic violence restraining order is best for your situation. In a civil harassment restraining order, you can ask to restrain:

• A neighbor,
• A roommate,
• A friend,
• A family member more than 2 degrees removed, like an aunt or uncle, a niece or nephew, cousins, and more distant relatives, or
• Other people you are not closely related to.

For more information on Civil Harassment, see the California Courts Website Civil Harassment Page (external site ).

Request for Restraining Order (external site)

Response to Restraining Order (external site)

Learn More

• Watch a Video on Resolving Your Civil Harassment Case (external site )
• All Types of Restraining Orders (external site )

Fillable Form Packets

Get Help

• Civil Assistance Calendar (pdf )

In order to get a court order changing your name or a child’s name, you must file a petition in the Superior Court in the county where you live. You can then use the court order to change the birth certificate, passport, social security card, driver’s license, and other documents.

• How to Change Your Name (Adult) (external site)
• How to Change Your Child's Name (external site)
• Forms and Instructions (external site)
• Fill Out the Petition for Name Change Online (external site)
• List of Court Approved Newspapers (external site pdf)

Most people solve their legal problems without a trial. “ADR” can help.

What is ADR?

ADR (“Alternative Dispute Resolution”) is a way to solve legal problems without going through trial. Two examples are Arbitration and Mediation.

Arbitration:

Arbitration is like a trial, but it is less formal. It takes place in an office, not a courtroom. The parties (people with a legal dispute) present their evidence to an “arbitrator.” The arbitrator decides who wins the case and how much they win. There are two kinds of arbitration. “Binding” arbitration means that the arbitrator’s decision is final. There is no appeal or trial after that decision. “Nonbinding” arbitration means that after the arbitration, either party can request a trial. But if the party who requests the trial gets a worse decision at trial, there may be penalties.

Mediation:

Mediation is nothing like a trial. The parties meet with a mediator in an office. The mediator may meet with the parties separately or together. The mediator listens to all the parties and tries to help them work out a solution that works for everyone. The mediator does not make a decision and does not talk to the judge about the case. If the parties cannot agree on a solution, the case can go to trial.

There are many advantages to Mediation:

• Mediation saves time: Your dispute may be resolved in less time than it takes to proceed through court;
• Mediation saves money: The number of trips to court are reduced, saving time and money;
• Mediation encourages cooperation: The parties can work together, with the help of the mediator, to resolve their case in a way that makes sense to them;
• Mediation can reduce stress: Mediation is informal, and saves time and money. There are fewer court appearances required and the dispute can be resolved sooner, so you don’t have an unresolved dispute hanging over your head for years;
• Mediation encourages participation: In mediation, the parties have more opportunity to tell their side of the story;
• Mediation can be more satisfying: In mediation, the parties have more control over the outcome of the dispute.

For more information or to locate ADR programs:

• Watch a video demonstration of the most common types of ADR (external site )
• Visit the Riverside Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution page.
• Riverside County Bar Association
  
  Dispute Resolution Service (external site )
  
  4129 Main Street, Suite 100
  
  Riverside, California 92501
  
  Phone: 951.682.2132

• Community Action Partnership of Riverside County (external site )
  
  Dispute Resolution Center
  
  Phone: 951.955.4900