What Court Employees Can and Cannot Do
Authored By: Texas Office of Court Administration
Information
Capabilities of Clerks and Court Personnel
We will:
check your papers for completeness. We check for signatures, notarization, correct county name, correct case number, and attachments.
We can:
explain and answer questions about how the court works
give you the phone number of the local lawyer referral service, legal services program, Texas State Bar lawyer referral service, and other services where legal information is available.
give general information about court rules, procedures, and practices.
provide court schedules and information on how to get a case scheduled.
give you information from your case file.
give you samples of court forms that are available.
usually answer questions about court deadlines.
We cannot:
tell you whether or not you should bring your case to court.
tell you what words to use in your court papers.
recommend what to say in court.
give an opinion about what will happen if you bring your case to court.
talk to the judge for you or let you talk to the judge in private.
change an order signed by a judge.
tell you what deadlines apply in your case.
