Protective orders
When you need the court to keep someone away
If you are in danger right now, call 911.
A protective order is a court order telling someone to stay away from you, your home, your work or your children. A judge can often issue one the day you ask, before the other person is told. That person can then ask for a hearing.
I help people ask for an order, get ready for the hearing, and connect the order to a divorce or custody case when it needs to be. I also represent people who have been served with an order and want to answer it.
If someone may check your phone or computer
The Quick exit button at the top of every page leaves this site at once and opens a weather page. Your browser still keeps a history, so a private window is safer, and a friend’s phone or a work phone is safer still.
Help at any hour
- Emergencies: 911
- 1-800-799-7233: National Domestic Violence Hotline
- By text: send START to 88788
How an order usually moves
- 01
You ask
We fill out the petition together and file it with the court, often the same day.
- 02
A judge reviews it
The judge reads what happened and decides whether to issue the order.
- 03
The other person is served
The order takes effect once they receive it. You don’t have to deliver it yourself.
- 04
A hearing, if one is asked for
I prepare you, and I stand next to you while the judge hears both sides.
What people ask about orders of protection
Does it cost anything to ask for an order?
Courts don’t charge a filing fee for most protective orders. My fee, if you hire me, is set in writing before we file.
Will the other person know where I live?
You can ask the court to keep your address private. Tell me if that matters, and we’ll leave it off every paper we can.
An order was filed against me. What do I do?
Follow it exactly, even if it’s untrue, and call me. You may be able to ask for a hearing and tell your side.
Does an order affect custody?
It can. An order may cover the children for a time, and a judge deciding custody later will see it. We plan for both from the start.
Talk to someone today
Call and say it’s about a protective order. Maite will put you first.