Custody Hearing Preparation Checklist (Printable)

Hearing details

Court and courtroom / link:

Date and time:

Type of hearing:

Judge or commissioner, if known:

Deadlines before the hearing (from the notice or local rules)

Filings and exchanges (if applicable)

Required statements or declarations filed, stamped copy keptDocuments served or exchanged with the other side, proof keptProposed order or parenting plan preparedParenting class or mediation certificateFinancial declaration, if requiredExhibit and witness lists, if required

Exhibit index

Exhibit index
Letter	Date	What it shows
Letter 1	Date 1	What it shows 1
Letter 2	Date 2	What it shows 2
Letter 3	Date 3	What it shows 3
Letter 4	Date 4	What it shows 4
Letter 5	Date 5	What it shows 5

What to bring

My two-minute statement

What I am asking for

Fact one, with date and exhibit

Fact two, with date and exhibit

Fact three, with date and exhibit

How it fits my child's daily life

What I am willing to agree to

Questions I may be asked, and my short answers

Before I leave the courtroom

I know what was ordered todayI know who drafts the written order and when I get itI know the next date and what must be filed before itI know what I must do differently starting nowI wrote down what I did not understandI have the contact for the clerk, self-help center, or my attorney