Everyone has seen someone get served in the movies or on TV, but when it happens to you, it can be hard to know what to do. Yell at the person dropping off the papers? Call your mom to ask her what to do? Eat some chocolate cake to soothe yourself? Ignore it for now, thinking you’ll remember to deal with it later? Sure, lots of people do these things after being served, but the most productive response would be to call a lawyer immediately.
Seeking legal counsel will help you know exactly what to do to ensure the most favorable outcome for your case. Whatever you do, don’t ignore it! If you put it off to be dealt with at a later date, you might miss your deadline to respond, incurring fines or other undesirable consequences. On any court document, including any papers you’ve been served, the Judicial Council form states exactly how many days you have to respond. If you’re served a Summons, for example, you have 30 days to both serve and file a response. Or if it’s an RFO (Request For Offer), a responsive declaration must be serviced and files at least nine court days before the hearing.
Keeping track of deadlines can be daunting, but that’s why it’s important to not go it alone—hire an experienced attorney team like Thomas Kendall and Kristina Kendall-Gkikas of Kendall Gkikas & Mitchell, LLP. They have over 20 years of experience so you can trust them to handle your case with professionalism, meticulousness, and drive. They specialize in cases involving children, including child custody, divorce, domestic violence, and paternity cases. For the full list of family law issues they work on on a daily basis, click here: https://www.parents4children.com/firm-overview/ Most of their clients are in the Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange Counties, though they’re licensed to appear in any California state court or local federal court branch. Call Kendall & Gkikas for all your legal needs—you can count on them to represent you and your needs well.
