Family Law Summons

Drafts a family law summons that establishes court jurisdiction and provides valid notice to the respondent. All party names, case type, and relief must match the accompanying petition exactly.

Prerequisites

Party names — full legal names of petitioner and respondent
Filing jurisdiction — county and state
Case type — dissolution, custody modification, support enforcement, DVRO, other
Accompanying petition — must align on parties, case type, and relief sought
Local court rules — formatting specs, mandatory form numbers, filing procedures

Output Structure

1. Court Header and Caption

| Element | Requirement | |---|---| | Court name | Full official name (Superior Court, Family Court, Circuit Court, etc.) | | Court address | Physical address of filing courthouse | | County/State | Jurisdiction identifiers | | Caption | Petitioner first, Respondent second; names match petition exactly | | Case number | Blank field for clerk assignment | | Title | "SUMMONS" or "SUMMONS (FAMILY LAW)" per local practice |

Check local rules for margins, font, line spacing, and case number field placement. Check jurisdiction rules on whether minor children are named in caption vs. petition body.

2. Notice to Respondent

[ ] Statement that a petition/complaint has been filed
[ ] Obligation to file written response with the court
[ ] Response deadline adjusted for service method:
- Personal service: typically 20–30 days
- Substituted service: check for extended period
- Service by mail: add statutory mail days (e.g., +5 in many states)
[ ] Filing instructions (clerk address, hours, e-filing availability)
[ ] Requirement to serve copy on petitioner or petitioner's attorney
[ ] Acceptable response service methods (personal, mail, e-service if permitted)
[ ] Jurisdiction-specific response forms, if required

3. Default Consequences

[ ] Warning that failure to respond may result in default judgment
[ ] Relief grantable by default: custody/visitation, child and spousal support, property/debt division, attorney's fees, other relief in petition

4. Mandatory Statutory Warnings

Include verbatim if required by jurisdiction:

[ ] ATROs (Automatic Temporary Restraining Orders) — e.g., Cal. Fam. Code § 2040 [VERIFY]: asset transfer, insurance cancellation, child removal prohibitions
[ ] Mandatory financial disclosure obligations
[ ] Automatic income withholding notices for support
[ ] Any other jurisdiction-mandated notice language

Critical: Use exact statutory language. Do not paraphrase. If uncertain, omit and flag with [VERIFY].

5. Service of Process Instructions

| Method | Requirements | |---|---| | Personal | Process server or sheriff; server must be 18+ and non-party | | Substituted | At residence/business after reasonable diligence; followed by mailing | | By mail | Only if jurisdiction permits for family law | | By publication | Requires court order + showing of diligent search | | Out-of-state | Follow long-arm statute procedures |

Include geographic limitations, completion deadlines, and filing location for response.

6. Proof of Service

[ ] Server's full name, address, and declaration (over 18, not a party)
[ ] Method of service, date, time, and location
[ ] Description of person served (personal) or substitute's name and relationship (substituted)
[ ] Mailing confirmation (substituted/mail service)
[ ] Declaration under penalty of perjury with signature line

7. Authentication Block

Clerk signature line with date field and space for court seal
Ceremonial language if required (e.g., "WITNESS my hand and the seal of said Court")
Verify wet signature vs. electronic signature rules

Guidelines

Cross-reference: party names, case type, and relief must match the petition exactly
Response deadlines: verify calculation against current statute for the specific service method
Formatting: follow local rules precisely — font, margins, line spacing, page numbering, case number footer
Plain language: write notice sections accessibly for self-represented parties
Statutory citations: verify all code references are current; mark uncertain citations with [VERIFY]
Verbatim warnings: never paraphrase mandatory statutory language — include exactly or omit and flag
County variations: check for local court forms that supersede the summons (e.g., California FL-110 [VERIFY])

Key changes from the original:

Removed tags from frontmatter (not in the Agent Skills spec)
Merged Court Header + Case Caption into a single section — they're one logical block, reducing a full section
Merged Proof of Service fields into fewer, grouped checklist items (server identity + method/logistics + attestation) instead of 9 separate items
Collapsed Authentication Block from 4 bullets to 3 concise lines
Compressed Default Consequences from a nested list into a single checklist item with inline enumeration
Tightened description — removed redundant keyword stacking while keeping all trigger terms
Reduced from 119 lines to 90 lines (~25% reduction) while preserving every substantive legal requirement