Courthouse Facilitator

Image - Court Forms. How to obtain Self-help packets.

The Courthouse Facilitator program at Snohomish County Superior Court Clerk’s Office provides assistance to Family Law and Adult Guardianship clients who are not represented by attorneys. This program operates in the Snohomish County Courthouse in Room 1-525.

The Clerk’s Office offers a variety of self-help packets for purchase, including for divorce, legal separation, invalidity of marriage, modifications of parenting plans or child support and many others. These packets include step-by-step instructions along with the proper forms to proceed with your case. To find more information about our packets, please go to our self-help packets page. If you are unsure of which packet you need for your family law matter, you can visit the Facilitators during their walk-in hours for assistance. 

About the Courthouse Facilitator Program


How can the Facilitators assist you?


  • Explain how the court process works
  • Explain how to schedule court hearings
  • Review forms for completeness in family law, minor guardianship, and new adult guardianship case filings
  • Arrange for an interpreter to help in court
  • Refer to other agencies for extra help that parties may need
  • Calculate child support when provided with income figures for both parties

What the Facilitators cannot do


  • Give legal advice
  • Assist litigants who are represented by an attorney
  • Represent parties in court
  • Fill out your papers for you or tell you how to fill them out
  • Tell the party what to say in court

Appointments


To make an appointment with a Courthouse Facilitator, please call 425-388-3795 and leave a message. A Facilitator will return your call.

Appointments are to review your completed paperwork and explain court procedures. The fee to meet with a Facilitator is $25 per visit (pre-payment is required).
If you need immediate assistance, this service may not be appropriate for you.

Walk-In Hours


Facilitators can answer quick procedural questions over the phone from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm or during walk-in hours from 1:00 to 3:30 pm. Completed court forms can be reviewed by scheduling an  appointment with a Facilitator.

Northwest Justice Project has partnered with Washington Law Help to provide self-guided forms where the user can answer interview questions to create completed forms and instructions that are ready for printing out, use and filing.  This option is available for a limited amount of case filing types, however they are consistently working to provide additional resources.

Forms can also be downloaded from the Washington Courts website, but parties are strongly encouraged to purchase the self-help packets to ensure that they get all of the forms along with the instructions that they may need.

The Family Law Handbook - Understanding the Legal Implications of Marriage and Divorce in Washington State is also available through the Washington Courts website.  

Adult Guardianship


Courthouse Facilitators can review completed paperwork for a new Guardianship case filing (appointment required).  If a Guardianship case has already been filed/established and you require assistance, please visit the Guardianship Monitoring Program.  Please visit this page for additional information on Guardianship case filings in Snohomish County.