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Legal Information: California

Restraining Orders

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Laws current as of November 7, 2024

I don't have a lawyer but I am afraid to face the abuser in court by myself. What can I do?

You don’t have to go to court alone. You can bring a “support person” with you so that you feel safe. A support person can be a friend, neighbor, church official, family member, or anyone else that you would like to have in court with you to help give you moral support. There is no training or certification necessary to become a support person, so whoever you choose does not need to take any sort of class before attending court with you.

Your support person can go with you to court to get a protective order, and if you don’t have a lawyer, s/he can sit beside you at the table where the lawyer would normally sit.1

1 Ann.Cal.Fam.Code § 6303

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