SELF-SERVICE CENTER
INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO FILL OUT THE FAMILY COURT
“MOTION TO SET TRIAL DATE and Certificate of Readiness”
USE THIS FORM ONLY if
There has been a petition and an answer/response filed in your case;
At least one other party is represented by a lawyer but you are not;
Discovery, the process of requesting and exchanging information among the parties before going to trial, is
complete, AND
You want the court to schedule a trial date.
STEP 1: FILL OUT THE “MOTION TO SET TRIAL DATE. Print using black ink only!
In the top left corner of the first page fill in the information requested about you, the person filing
this motion. If you are represented by an attorney, Stop! The attorney must be the one to file the
motion (and will use his or her own form).
Case Caption:
Fill in the name of the Petitioner and Respondent and the case number as they
appear on the petition that originally started this case. Whoever was the Petitioner or
Respondent for the filing of the original case remains Petitioner or Respondent for all other papers
filed under this case number. Your case number also stays the same for any papers filed in your
case.
Judge’s Name: Fill in the name of the Judicial Officer (Judge or Commissioner) assigned to your
case. If you do not know the name of the judge assigned to your case, call Family Court
Administration at the court location where your case was filed to find out.
For cases filed at the Downtown or Northeast Phoenix or Surprise court locations call
602-506-7879 or 602-506-1561. For cases filed in Mesa, call 602-506-2021.
INFORMATION ABOUT MY CASE. Read every line. Put an “X” in the box for every true
statement. Be sure to fill in any blank spaces for additional information where applicable.
1. SET MY CASE FOR TRIAL. Put an “X” in this box if you want the court to set your case
for trial. Then add a date your case will be ready for trial.
2. WE DO NOT AGREE. Put an “X” in this box if a Petition and a Response or Answer have
been filed. This tells the court that there are still disagreements between you and the other
party, and a Hearing or Trial is necessary to settle the things you, and the other party, do
not agree about.
3. CERTIFICATION OF READINESS FOR TRIAL. Put an “X” in this box if discovery, the
process of requesting and supplying information requested by other parties in
preparation for trial, has been completed (or there has been enough time and no request
for discovery have been made) and your Domestic Relations/Family Court case is ready to
proceed to trial. If you have questions about “discovery”, you should ask a lawyer for help
or research the local rules and requirements at a law library.
© Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County DRTP52i 031414
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Page 1 of 2
4. INFORMATION ABOUT LAWYERS REPRESENTING PARTIES IN THIS CASE.
Mark the box to indicate you are not represented by a lawyer.
If you are represented by a lawyer, STOP! Your lawyer has to file the motion.
Information About The Other Party Or His/Her Lawyer.
If the other party is represented by an lawyer, fill in the information requested
about the lawyer;
If the other party is not represented by a lawyer, fill in the information requested
about the other party.
5. PREFERENCE FOR TRIAL. In accord with Rule 77 of the Arizona Rules of Family Law
Procedure (ARFLP), your case is given preference by the court if it involves matters of
custody of minor children. If this or some other rule or statute applies that would give
your case priority in scheduling, put an "X" in the box that says “this case is entitled to be
heard before other cases. If it is not Rule 77 but some other rule or statute, identify or list
it in the space provide.
6. SHORT CASE. Some cases can be heard in an hour or less. If a lawyer has told you or
you are otherwise fairly certain that your case can be heard in an hour or less, check the
box for “yes”; otherwise, check the box for “no” or “not sure.
7. ESTIMATED LENGTH OF TRIAL. Indicate how long you think the trial will take.
Generally, you may want to request “1 Day” if:
It is a divorce, paternity or custody trial,
If you will be having a lot of witnesses, experts, and/or
if there is an attorney for the other side.
If there are no witnesses other than you and the other party, and you don't have a lot to
tell the judge, you should ask for "2 Hours." The court will decide how much time to
schedule for the trial. If the trial takes longer than the time allowed, the judge can
continue the trial to another date and time.
8. CERTIFICATION OF MAILING OR DELIVERY. You must provide a copy of the Motion
to Set to the judicial officer (Judge or Commissioner) assigned to your case and to every
other party or his/her attorney as well. Check the box to indicate how you will deliver the
judge’s copy and when you will do so. Next, fill in the date the copy for the other party or
his or her attorney will be mailed or delivered, and the address where it is being sent.
9. UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY: Date and sign the motion in the spaces provided.
Signing this motion is a statement to the court that the information you have supplied is
true and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief.
STEP 2: GO TO THE “PROCEDURES” PAGE. After you have filled out the motion, read and
follow the instructions on the page titled “PROCEDURES: WHAT TO DO AFTER YOU HAVE
COMPLETED THE MOTION TO SET TRIAL DATE.
© Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County DRTP52i 031414
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Page 2 of 2
SELF-SERVICE CENTER
PROCEDURES: WHAT TO DO WITH THE FAMILY COURT
“MOTION TO SET TRIAL DATE
AFTER YOU HAVE FILLED IT OUT
FOLLOW THESE PROCEDURES if you have filled out the Family Court Motion to Set Trial
Date(commonly called “Motion to Set”) and you want a trial to be scheduled in your case.
STEP 1: REVIEW THE “MOTION TO SET TRIAL DATEform. Make sure that the “Motion
to Set” has been completely filled out in black ink. Sign and date the form before
you make copies, though you may want to wait until the day you file the form before
filling in the dates you are planning to mail or deliver the copies as stated on page 2.
STEP 2: COPIES. Make 3* copies of the completed “Motion to Set”:
1 copy for the Judge assigned to your case
1 copy for your records
1 copy for the other party.
*If there is more than one other party, you will need a copy for each.
STEP 3: GO TO THE CLERK OF THE COURT’S FILING COUNTER:
Hand the original and all copies of the “Motion to Setto the Clerk of the Court
where you filed your case. The Clerk will stamp and file the original and return all
copies to you. These are now called “conformed” copies to indicate that the copies
conform to (appear to be the same as) the original document filed with the court.
COPY 1 of the “MOTION TO SET for the Other Party. Mail one copy to the other
party, or if the party is represented by an attorney, to his or her attorney instead.
If there is more than one other party to the case, you will need to mail a copy to
each.
COPY 2 of the “MOTION TO SET” for the Judicial Officer.
Provide a copy to the Judicial Officer (Judge or Commissioner) assigned to your
case by:
1. Delivering a copy to Family Court Administration,
2. Placing it directly in the Judge’s “in-basket” in the lobby of the:
Northwest Court Facility in Surprise or the
Northeast Court at 40
th
Street and Union Hills in Phoenix, or
3. By mailing it directly to the assigned judicial officer.
COPY 3 of the “MOTION TO SET”: Keep this copy for your records.
STEP 4: WAIT TO RECEIVE A NOTICE FROM THE COURT. After you have filed the
“Motion to Set,” you should be contacted by the office of the judge or commissioner
assigned to your case to inform you of the dates of your Pretrial Conference and
Trial. The document you will receive in the mail is called a “Minute Entry,” and it
will give you instructions about what to file before the Trial.
© Superior Court of Arizona In Maricopa County DRTP52p 031414
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Page 1 of 1
Person Filing:
Address (if not protected):
City, State, Zip Code:
Telephone:
Email Address:
ATLAS Number:
Lawyer’s Bar Number:
Representing Self, without a Lawyer or Attorney for Petitioner OR Respondent
SUPERIOR COURT OF ARIZONA
IN MARICOPA COUNTY
Case Number:
Name of Petitioner
FAMILY COURT MOTION
TO SET TRIAL DATE
and
CERTIFICATE OF READINESS
Name of Respondent
Assigned to:
Judge’s Name
INFORMATION ABOUT MY CASE: Check the box for each true statement. Fill in the blanks with any
information requested. Refer to the separate instructions as needed.
1. SET MY CASE FOR TRIAL. By filing this motion, I am asking the court to set this
case for trial. My case will be ready for trial on or after (date).
I have identified all issues known to me at this time that are related to this matter.
2. WE DO NOT AGREE. A Petition AND an Answer or Response in this case have
been filed. The other party and I do not agree and we have not been able to settle
this case.
3. CERTIFICATION OF READINESS: The parties have completed, or have had a
reasonable opportunity to complete, discovery. By marking this box and signing this
document, I am telling the court that I have obtained all of the facts and information I
need from the other party, and that I have answered all discovery requests from the
other party, and am ready to proceed to trial.
4. INFORMATION ABOUT LAWYERS REPRESENTING PARTIES IN THIS CASE:
I do not have a lawyer. (Note: If you do, your lawyer must file this motion not you.)
INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTHER PARTY OR HIS/HER LAWYER
(If other party has a lawyer, enter the information about the other party’s lawyer.)
Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip Code:
Telephone Number:
For Clerk’s Use Only
©Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County DRTP52f 031414
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Page 1 of 2
Case No. _________________
5. PREFERENCE FOR TRIAL. (Check only one box.)
This case is entitled to be heard before other cases because it is a Family Court case
involving matters of custody (ARFLP Rule 77), or because of this Rule or Statute:
___________________________________.
This case is not entitled to be heard before other cases.
6. SHORT CASE. This case may be heard in an hour or less. YES OR NO
NOT SURE
7. ESTIMATED LENGTH OF TRIAL. How long will the trial in this case last?
Estimated length of time: hours or days. (Refer to Instructions.)
8. CERTIFICATION OF MAILING OR DELIVERY.
JUDGE’S COPY:
I provided or will provide a copy of this document to the assigned judge by:
a. Delivering a copy to Family Court Administration on this _________________.
(Month, Date, Year)
b. Mailing a copy to the judge on this date _________________ .
c. Delivering a copy to the Judge’s mail box, on this date _________________.*
*
NOTE: At the downtown Phoenix and Mesa courthouses, the Judge’s mail boxes are located at
Family Court Administration. At the Northwest Court in Surprise and Northeast Court at 40
th
Street
and Union Hills in Phoenix, they are located in an area of the lobby open to public access.
You must also mail or deliver a copy of the “Motion to Set and Certificate of Readiness” to
the other party or his/her lawyer. If there is a Court Order for the parties to not have contact,
do NOT deliver in person to the other party.)
OTHER PARTY/ATTORNEY’S COPY:
A copy will be mailed or delivered to the other party or his/her attorney on : _________________.
(Month, Date, Year)
At this address: ________________________________________________________________.
9. UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY:
I state to the Court that the contents of this document are true and correct.
Date Signature of Person Filing Document
©Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County DRTP52f 031414
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Page 2 of 2