Pro Se Motions Department

Mailing Address

440 Ross Street
Room 121
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Self-Represented Litigants

Pro Se Services/Motions

Self-represented/pro se litigants who choose to access the Court on their own behalf without an attorney and wish to submit a motion to the Court must do so through the Pro Se Motions Department.

Self-represented/pro se litigants can seek assistance regarding family legal matters through the Legal Services Clinic that is staffed by Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University and University of Pittsburgh School of Law. The staff there may be able to provide limited legal services for free if you qualify. For more information Click Here

Filing a Motion for Self-Represented Litigants

What is a motion?

A motion is a written request where a party is asking the Judge to decide outside of the normal custody process.

Who can file a motion?

Typically, either party may file a motion regarding their case. You must have a currently active case.

How do I file a motion?

You can obtain information on the following Department’s processes and hours of operations at the below links:

Between the hours of 8:00am – 12:00pm, you may bring your prepared motion to the Information Desk, 1st Floor Family Law Center to schedule and receive further instructions.

Further Information About Motions Court

The Court will typically hear motions from self-represented litigants at 9:00am or 1:00pm. This time is dependent on when your assigned Judge is scheduled. The Court starts Motions Court promptly at the scheduled time. You will appear in motions court to present your motion; the judge may ask you and the other party questions. Failure to appear at the time scheduled may result in the Motion being denied or granted without a party being present. In the event both parties fail to timely attend, the Court may refuse to hear a motion until it is presented at a future Motions Court date. Self-represented litigants are expected to follow all rules of court and shall comply with the Court’s Standard Operating Procedures. Self-represented litigants MUST fill out an Entry of Appearance as Self-Represented PartyI-16 in order to represent themselves in Motions Court.

Formatting of a Pro Se Motion

Your paperwork should include the following:

– Cover sheet;

– Motion;

– Proposed Order of Court;

– Any relevant court orders and/or relevant exhibits;

– PLEASE NOTE: Your Motion is going directly to the Judge. It is suggested that your motion be typed.

– Additionally, you are required to comply with the Public Access Policy. Confidential Information must be redacted from the original document by the filing party and included on a separate statewide Confidential Information Form (attached to this packet). The redacted, original document and a Confidential Information Form must be filed together. A Confidential Document Form shall accompany a filing where a confidential document is required by law, ordered by the court, or is otherwise necessary to effect the outlook of a matter. This form shall be accessible to the public, however, the documents attached shall not be publicly accessible, except as ordered by the court. Further information can be found at https://www.alleghenycourts.us/general-information/public-access-policy/

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