In accord with the Ohio Rules
of Civil Procedure, there are certain requirements that must be met for
all documents filed with this Court. These requirements include:
Rule 7 (B) (1) An application
to the court for an order shall be by motion . . . shall be made in writing.
. . shall state with particularity the grounds therefore, and shall set
forth the relief or order sought.
All documents filed with
the Court must be on 8-1/2 x 11 paper with straight edges, and legibly
handwritten or typed with a two inch margin at top of page and a one inch
margin on both sides and at bottom of page.
Should include the appropriate
Guernsey County Common Pleas Court case number and the current address
of all parties.
Rule 5 - Service and filing
of pleadings and other papers subsequent to the original complaint - Every
pleading and every written motion shall be served upon each of the parties
or upon the attorney by hand delivering a copy to the person to be served,
by fax or by regular U.S. mail. A certificate of service/statement that
you have sent a copy to other party or their attorney must be included
in your document.
Rule 11 - Every pleading,
motion or other document of a party shall be signed.
Rule 5(E) - The filing of
documents with the court, as required by these rules, shall be made by
filing them with the clerk of courts.
The appropriate court cost
deposit must be paid at the time of filing.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Court is a very traditional
place. When you are representing yourself in Court you are trying to persuade
a judge or jury that you are right. So you must act, dress and speak in
a way that helps you with your case. Here are some tips:
BE ON TIME
What will happen if you are
late?
Your case can be dismissed.
The judge may make a decision without hearing your side.
DRESS NEATLY
You do not need fancy clothes,
just make sure you are neat and clean. Tank tops, shorts, ripped jeans
or baseball hats are not acceptable.
BE RESPECTFUL
How you act is as important
as how you look. Just like an attorney, you must be respectful to everyone
in the Court, including the judge, court staff and the other party involved
in your case.
Do not speak while others are speaking.
Speak to the Judge only when you are told it is your turn. Address the
Judge as "your honor". Never interrupt the Judge.
DO NOT BRING CHILDREN
WITH YOU TO COURT
It is okay to bring your child
if it is a custody or visitation case and the Judge or Magistrate needs
to talk with your child. In all other cases, find someone to look after
your child.
NO CELL PHONES OR
PAGERS IN THE COURT
Turn your phone/pager off
when you enter the court. Ringing phones and beeping pagers are very distracting
and make some judges very mad, which will not help your case!
Southeastern Ohio
Legal Aid
The Southeastern Ohio Legal
Aid office may be able to assist you with certain legal advice. You may
contact them at 1.800.686.3671.
WARNINGS
***Do not try to talk to the
Judge about your case before Court. The law prevents the judge from talking
to one party if the other party is not present (unless the case is currently
before the Court). This one-sided conversation is called an "ex parte
communication" and it is illegal.
***Do not ask Court staff
for legal advice. Court staff and Clerk of Courts staff are NOT attorneys
and cannot provide legal advice. More importantly, they are employees
of the Court and must treat both sides in a case fairly. It is unfair
and illegal for them to help one party and not the other. They can answer
questions about court procedure, court rules and the meaning of certain
legal terms. |
