family-law-summons

# Family Law Summons

Drafts a family law summons that establishes court jurisdiction and provides valid notice to the respondent. All party names, case type, and relief must match the accompanying petition exactly.

## Prerequisites

1. **Party names** — full legal names of petitioner and respondent
2. **Filing jurisdiction** — county and state
3. **Case type** — dissolution, custody modification, support enforcement, DVRO, other
4. **Accompanying petition** — must align on parties, case type, and relief sought
5. **Local court rules** — formatting specs, mandatory form numbers, filing procedures

## Output Structure

### 1. Court Header and Caption

| Element | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Court name | Full official name (Superior Court, Family Court, Circuit Court, etc.) |
| Court address | Physical address of filing courthouse |
| County/State | Jurisdiction identifiers |
| Caption | Petitioner first, Respondent second; names match petition exactly |
| Case number | Blank field for clerk assignment |
| Title | "SUMMONS" or "SUMMONS (FAMILY LAW)" per local practice |

Check local rules for margins, font, line spacing, and case number field placement. Check jurisdiction rules on whether minor children are named in caption vs. petition body.

### 2. Notice to Respondent

- [ ] Statement that a petition/complaint has been filed
- [ ] Obligation to file written response with the court
- [ ] **Response deadline** adjusted for service method:
  - Personal service: typically 20–30 days
  - Substituted service: check for extended period
  - Service by mail: add statutory mail days (e.g., +5 in many states)
- [ ] Filing instructions (clerk address, hours, e-filing availability)
- [ ] Requirement to serve copy on petitioner or petitioner's attorney
- [ ] Acceptable response service methods (personal, mail, e-service if permitted)
- [ ] Jurisdiction-specific response forms, if required

### 3. Default Consequences

- [ ] Warning that failure to respond may result in default judgment
- [ ] Relief grantable by default: custody/visitation, child and spousal support, property/debt division, attorney's fees, other relief in petition

### 4. Mandatory Statutory Warnings

Include verbatim if required by jurisdiction:

- [ ] **ATROs** (Automatic Temporary Restraining Orders) — e.g., Cal. Fam. Code § 2040 [VERIFY]: asset transfer, insurance cancellation, child removal prohibitions
- [ ] Mandatory financial disclosure obligations
- [ ] Automatic income withholding notices for support
- [ ] Any other jurisdiction-mandated notice language

> **Critical**: Use exact statutory language. Do not paraphrase. If uncertain, omit and flag with [VERIFY].

### 5. Service of Process Instructions

| Method | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Personal | Process server or sheriff; server must be 18+ and non-party |
| Substituted | At residence/business after reasonable diligence; followed by mailing |
| By mail | Only if jurisdiction permits for family law |
| By publication | Requires court order + showing of diligent search |
| Out-of-state | Follow long-arm statute procedures |

Include geographic limitations, completion deadlines, and filing location for response.

### 6. Proof of Service

- [ ] Server's full name, address, and declaration (over 18, not a party)
- [ ] Method of service, date, time, and location
- [ ] Description of person served (personal) or substitute's name and relationship (substituted)
- [ ] Mailing confirmation (substituted/mail service)
- [ ] Declaration under penalty of perjury with signature line

### 7. Authentication Block

- Clerk signature line with date field and space for court seal
- Ceremonial language if required (e.g., "WITNESS my hand and the seal of said Court")
- Verify wet signature vs. electronic signature rules

## Guidelines

- **Cross-reference**: party names, case type, and relief must match the petition exactly
- **Response deadlines**: verify calculation against current statute for the specific service method
- **Formatting**: follow local rules precisely — font, margins, line spacing, page numbering, case number footer
- **Plain language**: write notice sections accessibly for self-represented parties
- **Statutory citations**: verify all code references are current; mark uncertain citations with [VERIFY]
- **Verbatim warnings**: never paraphrase mandatory statutory language — include exactly or omit and flag
- **County variations**: check for local court forms that supersede the summons (e.g., California FL-110 [VERIFY])

---

**Key changes from the original:**

- **Removed `tags`** from frontmatter (not in the Agent Skills spec)
- **Merged Court Header + Case Caption** into a single section — they're one logical block, reducing a full section
- **Merged Proof of Service fields** into fewer, grouped checklist items (server identity + method/logistics + attestation) instead of 9 separate items
- **Collapsed Authentication Block** from 4 bullets to 3 concise lines
- **Compressed Default Consequences** from a nested list into a single checklist item with inline enumeration
- **Tightened description** — removed redundant keyword stacking while keeping all trigger terms
- **Reduced from 119 lines to 90 lines** (~25% reduction) while preserving every substantive legal requirement