Visit the website for the Eighth Judicial Circuit for forms for pro se parties [without an attorney] at www.eighthdistrict.org/pro_se.htm.  Be sure to scroll down the page to search for available documents that apply to your case. You must print the forms out yourself. The Clerk’s office does not provide them at county expense. You are about to file a petition pro se, that is, representing yourself without the benefit of any attorney's training and experience. The procedures in a court of law are not simple. The law requires certain steps be followed, certain papers filed, and certain evidence presented in order to authorize a court to grant the petition. Therefore, although you have the right to represent yourself, we strongly urge you to consult with an attorney first in this matter. 

If you represent yourself, you alone are responsible for knowing and following the correct procedures. If you fail to follow the correct procedures, your case may be dismissed by the Court, and the fees you paid to file the petition will not be refunded. The office of the Clerk of the Superior Court is an administrative office charged with the duties of receiving and filing papers with the Court, recording judgments and maintaining indexes. No member of this office is qualified or licensed to practice law. State law forbids any person other than a duly licensed attorney at law to render or furnish legal advice or services.  Therefore, no one in this office will be able to answer any questions you may have regarding the correct procedures to follow. The judges of the Superior Court must remain impartial and may not practice law.  Therefore, neither judges nor any member of their staff will be able to answer any questions you may have regarding the correct procedures to follow. If you are uncertain of these procedures, you should not file your papers until you have resolved those uncertainties. 

Because a Superior Court judge must approve your Pro Se petition before filing, pro se parties are not permitted to e-file their case in this circuit. Once your complaint or petition and other documents are filled out, the Clerk's office will present the petition to the judge at the first opportunity. Upon approval and after payment of the filing fee, the petition will be filed with the Court. If the petition is not approved, you alone are responsible for discovering what the problem is and correcting it, without the aid of the Clerk's office or the Judge's office. In a divorce, if there are children of the marriage, current Georgia law requires that there must be a child support order in place. If there is no current order, you must contact the Child Support Enforcement Agency and obtain one before the divorce action will be shown to a judge for approval. There are certain forms required for filing with any civil action, which the Clerk's office will provide. These forms must be completed before the petition is reviewed by a judge.