Family-Matters Terms in Plain English

Use this short guide when the official words themselves are making it harder to find the right help door.

1. Guardian ad Litem (GAL)
A Guardian ad Litem is a court-appointed person who is supposed to look into the child's situation and report back to the court. A GAL is not the judge, not one parent's lawyer, and not a replacement for a therapist.

2. Family Law Magistrate
A Family Law Magistrate is a judicial officer who handles many family-law matters, especially procedure-heavy issues such as child support and some family-case hearings.

3. Interim hearing or temporary order
An interim hearing deals with what happens before the final case is resolved. A temporary order is the short-term order that can control things such as contact, support, or scheduling while the case is still moving.

4. Parenting plan
A parenting plan is the written structure for how the child spends time, how exchanges happen, how decisions get made, and how day-to-day parenting logistics are supposed to work.

5. Protection from Abuse (PFA)
A PFA is a civil protection-order process meant for safety. It is not the same thing as a normal custody disagreement, and emergency safety concerns should be treated first.

6. Service
Service means the official delivery of court papers to the other side in the way the rules require. It matters because the court needs proof that papers were properly delivered.

7. Docket and case number
The docket is the official running record of what has been filed or ordered in the case. The case number is the identifier that helps a clerk or office find the matter quickly.

8. Motion
A motion is a formal request asking the court to do something. Motions can be about scheduling, temporary orders, enforcement, or other case issues.

9. Order or judgment
An order is a written direction from the court. A judgment is the formal final or major ruling. Keep copies of both when you can.

10. Child-support review or modification
A review or modification asks for the support amount or related terms to be looked at again because circumstances have changed or an official review is happening.

This guide is public information only. It is not legal advice.