What Happens at a Family Court Hearing in California
California family court hearings are not trials. They are relatively brief — often 20 to 30 minutes — and the judge has read your paperwork before you walk in. Your job is not to tell the whole story. Your job is to be clear, specific, and focused on what the court needs to decide.
Before the hearing
Make sure all your paperwork is filed and served. The judge will have read your declaration and the other party's response before the hearing begins. Bring extra copies of everything. Arrive early — courthouse security lines can be long. Find the correct courtroom and check in with the clerk.
How the hearing runs
The judge calls the case. Both sides identify themselves — name and whether they are representing themselves. The judge may have questions based on what they read. The moving party speaks first — that is whoever filed the motion. The responding party then speaks. Each side may be given a chance to reply. The judge issues a ruling — sometimes at the hearing, sometimes taken under submission.
What the judge is looking for
Specificity. A judge who hears a dozen custody cases before lunch needs to understand your situation quickly. Vague complaints about the other parent do not move courts. Specific dates, specific incidents, specific facts about the child's needs — those do. Stay focused on what you are asking for and why it serves the child.
What not to do
Do not attack the other parent's character without specific facts to support it. Do not ramble. Do not bring up issues that are not before the court that day. Do not interrupt the other party or the judge. Do not lose your composure — judges notice. If you do not know the answer to a question, say so rather than guessing.
After the hearing
The judge's verbal ruling needs to be put in writing. Whoever prevails typically prepares FL-340 — Findings and Order After Hearing — and submits it to the judge for signature. Once signed and filed, the order is enforceable. Keep a certified copy.
Filing fee
No fee for appearing at a hearing. Filing fees were paid when the motion was filed.
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