Hi! I’m Cristin with the Law Office of Cristin Lowe. Welcome to the Hayward Hall of Justice. If you have a family law case in Alameda county, you will have your court dates inside this very building.  Ordinarily, the courthouse doesn’t allow media access but our firm was granted special privileges. So today, we’re going to start with our tour across the street with the parking garage. The courthouse is actually located at 24405 Amador Street. The crossroad is over here, Winton, which is the exit right off of 880.  So in order to access the courthouse, you’ll exit Winton and then you’re going to take Amador Street.

Parking, Security Checkpoint, & Entry

Across the street will be the actual parking garage, where I recommend you park. It’s paid parking but it’s relatively low-cost, and takes both change and credit cards. You’ll want to bring both just in case and it’s almost always easy parking there. Once you’ve safely parked your vehicle, exit, go down to the first floor and cross the crosswalk over here. It’s going to take you to a nice long line outside the courthouse entrance because you have to pass through security. Today we’re going to bypass the line and take you straight to front steps of the courthouse.

So here we are in front of the courthouse, and we’re going head up the stairs. Ordinarily, tours will stop right here but because we have special access, we’re going to actually be able to take you through the doors and start past the security line. We’re going to start our tour of the courthouse past the metal detectors. You, on the other hand, when you enter the courthouse, are going to need to go through security. As a general rule you don’t want to bring anything that resembles a weapon into the courthouse. This may seem like common sense, and the general rule of thumb is to think like TSA airport security. You may be asked to remove your shoes, and you’re going to have to take your belt off. You’re also going to remove everything out of your pockets, put contents in the bin, and go through the metal detectors.

One of the important things to remember is just like TSA airport security, it’s going to take a while. There are some days when that line will wrap all the way around the building and it can take you anywhere from 20-30 minutes to enter the courthouse. It’s very important that you arrive early because the last thing you want to do is be nervous and out of breath when you enter the courtroom, or even worse, late for your first court appearance.

So, entering the courthouse can be a very scary experience. I’d like you to take a deep breath, relax, and realize that everyone else in the courthouse milling about is going to feel the same way as you – especially if it’s their first time as well. Again, this video is going to be intended to make you feel a little bit better and make you feel a little bit more like you know what to expect during your court date. That way, you can focus on what’s most important – most likely your family and your children. Protecting yourself and your children is probably the main reason why you’re going to court in the first place.

Court Clerk’s Window

We’re going to go down the hallway and first introduce you to the clerk’s window. A lot of people are confused and think, “Well I’m going to settle my case out of court – that means I never have to go to court.” We may never need to set foot in the courtroom, but that’s not the same as having to file papers at the clerk’s window. That’s where we’re going to start. Your first time to the courthouse is probably going to be at the clerk’s window because you’re going to need to file your initial papers or you’re going to need to respond to your family law matter. It’s kind of like DMV so we’re going to start by the actual ticket window. Heading down this way through the courthouse, what you’re going to see here is a little ticket sign, and you’re going to pull a number. You just want to read the queues, and you’ll see that there are tickets for attorneys, there’s tickets for family law, and there’s tickets for criminal, and you just want to make sure to push the right button and then you get a ticket. Then you’re going to go over and look up at the street to the screen up here is going to have the different types of tickets and the window underneath it. It’s important to sit on these benches here, relax, and wait for your turn. You definitely don’t want to miss it because then you’ll have to pull another ticket, and these lines can be long. Expect the wait to be anywhere from 15 minutes up to 2 hours, so bring a book or something on your phone to read. Make sure that you have all your papers in order. If you’re a little nervous about filing papers, sitting and waiting is a good time for you to review and make sure everything is stapled, signed, dated and that you’ve got the right number of copies.

Coming across here to the clerk’s window – let’s take a look. You’ll see, looking through the window, that all the windows are clearly marked. So for example, the first thing we have is family law 7. There will be a loudspeaker and they’ll announce your ticket number and then we’ll see window seven for example. In that case you go through the doors and go straight up to the window. These clerks are your best friends, so you want to be polite. I know family law can be very frustrating, scary, and stressful. It’s really hard when the clerk telling you the papers are wrong, or that you haven’t done something right, or that they’re out of order, or that you need to pay a filing fee. I get it – it’s really frustrating and scary, but the last thing you want to do is upset the clerk because they want to help you. They can’t give you legal advice they’re not attorneys, but they very much want to help you through a very difficult time. It’s important to treat them with respect and a lot of times you might actually get a smile and a little bit of extra service.

Family Law Facilitator’s Office

We’re going to keep going down on our tour of the courthouse and start looking at some of the courtrooms. Anytime you have a court date, you’re going be expected to appear in a department. You are generally assigned one department and one judge at the very beginning of your case. Sometimes judges change, sometimes they rotate out, and your department number switches. It’s important to keep track, and keep your current address on file with the court at all times.

If you need help, we’re going to take our next stop before we hit the courtrooms and discuss the family law facilitator’s office. The family law facilitator’s office is the self-help center, so if you have any questions about how to fill out the paperwork or what to file, or when you’re supposed to be in court, they’re the ones to ask. The family law facilitator’s office has limited hours, so you want to make sure and know when to appear and be prepared to wait in line. Again, these people are here to help you and even though it’s frustrating, it’s important to treat them with respect. It’s important to be respectful of the process, and it’s important to understand they’re not telling you, “No,” or they’re not saying you can’t do something because they want to hurt you or your children. They’re trying to help you get through a very complicated system in the easiest and best way possible.

Courtrooms / Departments

So we just took a look at the family facilitator’s office and we’re going to keep going down the hallway and take a look at some of our family law courtrooms. All the courtrooms are setup very similarly, and on the outside you’re going to see the department number, judge, the clerk, court reporter, and the court attendant. If you’re at all confused, they also have a very clear marker as to what type of law it is so you know, generally speaking, if you’re in the right department. If you’re unclear on which department you’re supposed to be in, you want to look at the papers that told you to go to court, and what’s on your court date. The department numbers are clearly marked up here, and you’ll see a big circle with the department number. It’s also marked here, so you’ll see plenty of places where you can see your department number. Just so you know, you’ll see your judge’s name outside as well. The court clerk usually sits next to the judge on either the right-hand side or the left-hand side. Think of the clerk as another one of your best friends. The clerk is going to be assisting the judge throughout the court proceedings, so it’s important to be very polite. Alameda county doesn’t have bailiffs or Sheriffs in the department. Those are your court attendants. They are intended to help facilitate and help manage the courtroom. They keep everyone quiet to make sure there’s order in the courtroom, and ensure that everybody respects the process. Again, that’s another person you want to treat very nicely and you want to listen to the court attendant. A lot of times they will come outside before court starts and give you some of the courtroom rules. For example, no cell phones in the courtroom, take off your hats, no drinks except water, don’t bring any food, and don’t speak when the judge is speaking. You want to pay attention to these rules and follow them. Again, these are rules and tips intended to help you have successful court appearance.

We also have a court reporter. Now in this particular example, there isn’t a permanently assigned court reporter. The court reporter is somebody who takes down all of the information that is being said during the hearing. So everything you’re saying is going on a permanent record, and the court reporter is typing it all out on his or her laptop.

Department Calendar & Your Case

We’re going to keep moving down hallway and take a look at another one of the family law departments. Courthouses can be really scary, and right now it’s very quiet but you can expect on your day of your hearing for it to be really loud. There’s going to be a lot of people milling about, and a lot of times it’s really scary because it seems like it’s a very public venue. The answer is, “Yes, it is.” You’re not the only person on the calendar at 9:00. Expect 10 or 15 other cases at that time, maybe even more. Even though you have to get to court on time at 9:00, or 10:00, or whatever time you’re hearing is – don’t expect to be called right then. You could very well have to wait all morning until 11:45 and sometimes even 12:00.

Here’s another example of one of the department signs. Once again, you have the judge’s name, you have the clerk, in this case there is a court reporter, but there isn’t a permanent court attendant. It’s clearly marked out as “family law.”

We’re going to show you a little bit of what to expect when you arrive, and I hope you arrive early for your court hearing. What you want to look at is a calendar that is posted outside of the department. It has the next date and all of the cases that are on calendar that morning. Take a deep breath and make sure that the right date is posted. Sometimes, the calendars are out-of-date and it’s a little scary when you look at the court date and you don’t see your name on the calendar. So, make sure that it’s actually the right day first, and then you want to take a look and find out where you’re at on the calendar. You’ll know you’re in the right spot, and just wait until the court attendant opens up the courtroom and you can go inside.

1st Floor Overview, Info Desk, & Master Calendar

Ok, so now we’re going to go head back down the hallway of the first floor, and we’re going to take a look at some of the other things in the courthouse that you’ll need to know so you’ll be a little bit more comfortable – like the bathrooms, the elevators, and the Information Center. One last thing before we head over to the elevators – I want to show you the back doors. They look like they could be an entrance or an exit, but you’re going to see a big red stop sign because it’s an emergency exit only. There are a lot of doors in and out of the courthouse that look like they’re entrances and exits. However, the reality is there’s only one way in and one way out of the courthouse.

So we’re going to go back down the hallway and over to the elevators, then we’ll show you the rest of the first floor. We’re now in the middle of the first floor. You’ll see back there, for reference, the metal detectors, and we’re going to go over this way which would be the elevators to get you to the other floors. Over here would be the information desk. If for whatever reason you get lost, these nice volunteers will be able to direct you to the right courtroom.

You’ll also see this giant master calendar. These are all the departments for the entire courthouse and where you’re at. The general rule is you want to know your court date and court time and department, because trying to find your name of this calendar might be a bit of a nightmare. In a worst-case scenario, you can always find yourself over here.

Moving past the glass doors, you’re going to have both the men’s and women’s restrooms over here. Now we’re going to go up to the second floor and take a look at some of the other courtrooms. Very quickly before we go up, you’re going to see over here on this side, all of the departments listed along with the department numbers. Everything starts with, “5,” even though there are only three floors, and so it can be a little bit confusing. You’ll see here – the first floor (with departments), along with the second floor and the third floor listed. So let’s go on up the elevators to the second floor!

2nd Floor

So, we just left the first floor with Cristin, and now we’ve exited the elevators on the second floor. You’ll notice that when you exit to your left is the men’s restroom. There’s really nothing else of interest down that direction. However when you go to your right, the hallway opens up into two separate hallways (to your left and right) where you will find the departments and the identical layout to downstairs on the first floor.

You’ll notice when you first come out of the hallway where the elevators are located, there’s a sign that directs you to where the departments are located. 507 through 510 are this direction (your left) and 511 through 514 are this direction (to your right). We’re going to look at 507-510 first, but if you want to take a look down this direction, to your right, you’ll notice it’s an identical set up to downstairs. You’ll see the benches and the tables on each side where you can feel free to sit when you’re waiting for your department to open in the morning.

Department of Child Support Services (DCSS)

Now, let’s take a look down at 508 and 509, which are your Department of Child Support Services departments. They’re set up slightly different from the other departments that we looked at downstairs.

Now I’m going to show you how this department is slightly different from the other departments. Because the Department of Child Support Services is involved, they do their procedures slightly different. You can see there’s a piece of paper here where you need to register in the morning when you come into the courthouse. The other departments do not require this. However, because the Department of Child Support Services has their own attorney, they actually want to see who’s here so that they can get a head start before the judge takes the bench. You’ll also notice, similar to the other departments, the piece of paper that has the name so you can confirm you’re in the correct department. Now we’re going to go over to Department 509, which is also a DCSS department, so you can see it’s set up the exact same over there.

Dept 509

We just left Department 508 across the hall, and we’re now at Department 509 which is also a DCSS department. You can see that similar to Department 508, they also have a table where you sign in. You can see on the wall that there are several pages that have names on them. Going back to what Cristin was saying earlier, this shows that there are multiple cases that are on the calendar every morning. You can see that we are at the 9:00, 9:02, and the 9:05 calendars.

Dept 510

We just left Department 509, and now we’ve walked down the hall to Department 510. You’ll notice that on some of the courtrooms (on the outside) there’s a table that has a box which says “courtesy copy.” This is often in cases where you may file something a few days before your court date, and you’re not sure if the judge will get a copy of it before your hearing. So, attorneys will frequently leave a courtesy copy here at the department so that the judge gets the copy (a hard copy) before it’s available online to them.

So, we’ve just looked at Department 510, and now we need to look at the most important place – the women’s restroom. You’ll notice that when we came out of the elevators, the restroom was to your left. Now, it’s to your right because we came from this direction of of the hallway. That concludes the tour of the second floor! Thank you for watching, and I hope this has been helpful. Again, my name is Chelsea Jagar with the Law Office Cristin Lowe, and good luck with your case!

3rd Floor & Children’s Waiting Room

Welcome back! We just finished up our tour on the second floor with Chelsea, and now we’re on the third floor. If it looks familiar, it’s because it is! This is not just deja vu, but there are some important differences. The first similarity, though, is the men’s restroom which is in the exact same place as on the second floor. However, next door to the men’s restroom would be the children’s waiting room. We don’t want children in the courtrooms as they’re not actually permitted. In general, they should be in school or with a babysitter. But, Alameda County offers a child care center if you need a babysitter essentially for a few hours while you’re in court. This wonderful service is free, and it is available to you on the third floor. Make sure you arrive to court early and drop your children off, and know that they’re safe.

Now we’re going to go down the hallway and show you the identical set up. So, just like on the second floor with Chelsea, we’re outside and you can see on Floor 3, there is another directory for the departments, both to your left and right. The setup is identical (to the other floors).

Here is a jury waiting room because there can be civil juries. When we mentioned earlier about the long lines that can be at security, this is one of the reasons why there can be a long line.

Looking down the hallway, you’ll see once again the women’s restroom is over here and you will see courtrooms that are clearly marked out – each one. Once again, you want to make sure you get the right department. The benches are identical, and you can wait outside or enter/exit the courtroom as long as you’re quiet.

Conclusion

Due to the fact that this floor is identical to the first and second floors, we’re going to keep this very brief and conclude our tour by wrapping up on the first floor. We hope that this video was helpful and that you feel a little bit more prepared for your upcoming court date. We wish you the best of luck! I’m Cristin Lowe, and if you have any questions, hopefully this information has been helpful to you and you don’t have questions. But if you do, just remember the information desk that is here behind us is on your right when you come into the courthouse, and the family law facilitator (self-help center) is on your left a little further down the hallway. My name is Chelsea Jagar, and thank you for watching