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Get help from Court Service Centers

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Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
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What are Court Service Centers?

Court Service Centers can help you find your way through the court system. They are run by the Massachusetts Trial Court. You can contact them by phone, Zoom, or in-person.

Court Service Centers can provide:

  • Help filling out forms in certain case types,
  • Information about court rules, procedures, and practices,
  • Court documents and written instructions,
  • Help in your preferred language,
  • Referrals to legal aid and other helpful programs in your community, and
  • Public computers with access to online resources.

Note

The Court Service Center cannot give you legal advice, represent you in court, or help you if you have a lawyer. They also can’t help you with trial preparation or discovery. They can’t tell you the status or predict the outcome of your case.

Court Service Centers are free to use. But remember there may be other fees that are part of your case.

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What can Court Service Centers help with?

Court Service Center staff cannot help with every legal question. But they may be able to help with:

  • 209A Abuse Prevention/Restraining Orders
  • 258E Harassment Prevention Orders
  • Civil Commitments: Alcohol or Substance Misuse (Section 35) and Mental Illness (12)
  • Custody, child support, parenting time, and divorces (1B and Fault)
  • Eviction Answer and Discovery
  • Guardianship of minors and adults
  • Petitions for name changes or corrections of marriage/birth/death certificates
  • Small Claims ($7,000 or less)
  • Voluntary Administrations

See the Court Service Center website for more information on the types of cases Court Service Centers can and cannot help with.

Or see the Court Service Center’s interactive tool, Can the Court Service Center help me?

What can’t Court Service Centers help with?

Some examples of things Court Service Centers cannot help with include:

  • Formal/Informal Probates of Estates
  • Adoptions
  • Appeals
  • Immigration
  • Most matters in Juvenile Court, 
  • Federal Court matters, and
  • Cases in other states or countries.
How do I contact a Court Service Center?

You can contact a Court Service Center by phone, Zoom or in person.

Virtual Court Service Center

Intake hours: Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 2 PM

Contact by Zoom

Join the Zoom video meeting. Then:

  • You will enter a “virtual waiting room.”
  • The staff ask you questions to make sure you have all the information and documents they need to help you. They list this information in their handout "What you will need to bring for assistance."

Contact by phone

Call (646) 828-7666. When the recording asks for your Meeting ID, type in 1615261140 then press # #. See more information on what to expect when contacting the Virtual Court Service Center.

Visiting the Court Service Center in person

You can visit the Court Service Centers in person from Monday - Thursday,  between 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM or between 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM, or on Friday between 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM.

For the Taunton Court Service Center, you can visit in-person on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday only between 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM or  2:00 – 4:30 PM.

Go to the Court's website to find out the locations of the Court Service Centers.

Note

If you decide to visit a Court Service Center in person, arrive early. They are first come, first served. This means that intake hours may end before their listed closing time.

Before you visit a Court Service Center in person, make sure to read their handout "What you will need to bring for assistance."

How can I get information in other languages about Court Service Centers?

Download the Court Service Center brochures in English, Spanish, Arabic, Cape Verdean Creole, and Portuguese. Translations into more languages are coming soon.

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