Loudoun Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court, Virginia Document Filing Requirements

CRITICAL

Applies to

Civil motion

A civil motion must be noticed or praeciped for the correct judge's courtroom.

You must notice/praecipe your motion for the correct Judges' courtroom.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Parenting education certificate

Parties must submit their class-completion certificate to the court for verification.

Parties are required to submit the certificate of completion of the class to the court for verification.

CRITICALCriminal cases

Applies to

Deferred payment agreement

A defendant granted additional time to pay must sign a DC-210 agreement.

the defendant will sign a DC-210 agreement

CRITICAL

Applies to

Emergency custody or visitation motion

An emergency custody or visitation motion, including one to modify an existing order, must identify imminent danger to the child's life or safety.

Emergency Motions for custody and visitation, or to modify an existing custody and visitation order must identify an imminent danger to the child's life or safety.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Notice of appearance or pleading

A written notice of appearance or pleading is required for criminal and civil matters.

The Court requires a written notice of appearance or pleading for all matters criminal and civil.

CRITICALCriminal cases

Applies to

Request for additional time to pay

A defendant seeking additional time to pay outside sentencing must complete a financial form at the Clerk’s Office and file a motion; the Clerk dockets the request on an 8:30 a.m. docket for judicial consideration.

If a defendant wishes to request additional time to pay his/her court costs/fines/restitution at a time other than at his/her sentencing hearing the defendant must fill out a financial form at the Clerk's Office and a motion requesting additional time to pay. The Clerk will docket the Defendant's request on an 8:30 a.m. docket to be considered by a Judge.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Petition

Every petition must include the parties' identifying information, especially their current addresses.

All petitions must include all identifying information of the parties and, most importantly, current addresses. This will ensure proper service of the parties.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Emergency filing

A filing seeking immediate court action or a variance from these procedures should be labeled and identified in writing as “Emergency.”

Any filing that seeks immediate court action or variance from the procedures set forth herein should be appropriately labeled and identified in writing as an "Emergency".

CRITICAL

Applies to

Custody or visitation petition

A separate petition must be filed for each child and for each matter—custody and visitation—because each child has a separate base case number and each matter a separate sub-number.

Each CHILD is assigned a separate juvenile base case number; therefore, a separate petition must be filed for each child. Each matter (i.e., custody and visitation) is assigned a separate sub-number, requiring that you file separate petitions for custody and for visitation for each child.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Custody visitation motion

A separate original custody and visitation motion must be filed with additional service copies.

A separate original motion MUST be filed for custody and visitation with additional service copies.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Motion to modify support

If a custody change changes who pays and receives support, the recipient must file a new petition in addition to a motion to modify support.

If you have a change of custody which will result in a change of who will be paying the support and who will be receiving support, you MUST file a NEW petition on behalf of the person receiving the support IN ADDITION to a motion to modify support.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Filing by different attorney

When counsel is already of record or appointed, the Court will not recognize a different attorney's filing unless that attorney files a Notice of Appearance as co-counsel or a properly executed Order of Substitution of Counsel has been entered.

When an attorney or law firm has already entered an appearance as counsel of record on behalf of a party, or if counsel has already been appointed for a party, the Court will not recognize or act upon a filing by a different attorney or law firm unless that attorney also files a Notice of Appearance as co-counsel OR a properly executed Order of Substitution of Counsel has been entered by the court.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Child support case

The child’s or children’s name(s) must not appear in the case style.

The child(ren)'s name(s) is/are not included in the style of the case.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Order of substitution or leave to withdraw

Counsel of record retains all related duties and obligations until the Court enters an order of substitution or grants leave to withdraw.

This also means that any counsel of record remains counsel of record, with all related duties and obligations, unless and until an order of substitution is entered by the Court or counsel is otherwise granted leave to withdraw.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Civil motion

Must include

proposed order

Counsel and self-represented litigants must prepare and bring a proposed order to court.

Counsel/Pro se litigants shall prepare and bring a proposed order to court.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Custody or visitation petition

Every custody or visitation petition must include Form DC-620 or incorporate its affidavit language, and a pleading incorporating that language must be sworn to by the petitioner.

All petitions for Custody or Visitation must include the UCCJEA Affidavit, (Form DC-620) or incorporate the affidavit language within the pleading. If the affidavit language is incorporated into the pleading, then the pleading must be sworn to by the petitioner.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Custody or visitation petition

Each petition filing must include a copy for the file, a copy for each party to be served, and a date-stamped copy; insufficient copies at filing result in rejection.

Each filing requires one copy for the file and one for each party needing to be served plus a date stamped copy. If you do not provide enough copies at the time of filing, your filing will be rejected

CRITICAL

Applies to

Custody or visitation petition

Petitions must be captioned “In Re: [child's name],” not “Petitioner versus Respondent.”

Petitions are filed In Re: child's name and not Petitioner versus Respondent.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Motion to modify

Every motion to modify must include all party-identifying information, especially current addresses.

All motions to modify must include all identifying information of the parties and most importantly current addresses.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Pleading filing discovery request response

Must include

ai disclosure

Counsel and pro se parties must include a written disclosure in pleadings, filings, and discovery requests or responses identifying any AI program used in drafting; research-only use of AI embedded in LexisNexis or Westlaw need not be disclosed unless it helped draft the document.

Effective immediately, in all pleadings, filings, and discovery requests/responses, counsel and pro se parties alike must disclose if any AI (artificial intelligence) program was used in the drafting of such pleading/filing/discovery request/response, and if so, which program was used. Such disclosure shall be in writing and shall be included in the pleadings, filings, and discovery requests/responses. The use of Al tools embedded or included within legal research tools such as LexisNexis and Westlaw for legal research alone does not need to be disclosed unless the tool helped to draft the pleading. If an Al tool was used both for research and for drafting, it must be disclosed.

CRITICAL

Applies to

AI-drafted pleading filing discovery request response

If AI was used in drafting, the signer must certify that they personally reviewed the document completely for accuracy and appropriateness.

From such disclosure, it should be clear to the Court and to any other parties in the matter whether Al was used in the drafting and if so, it MUST be certified that the person who signed the pleading/filing/discovery request/response has personally reviewed it completely for accuracy and appropriateness.

WARNING

Applies to

Motion to withdraw

If there are any other known conflicts, please include that information in your motion to withdraw.

If there are any other known conflicts, please include that information in your motion to withdraw.

WARNING

Applies to

Child support case

Child support cases are filed in the parents’ names and indexed under the respondent/payor’s name.

They are filed in the names of the parents and are indexed under the name of the respondent/payor.

INFO

Applies to

Motion to amend

When possible, a motion to amend should include a copy of the original order.

Whenever and wherever possible, you should attach a copy of the original order.

INFO

Applies to

Motion to amend

Additionally, in the motion to amend, you should state what the latest order of the court says, what you wish to amend, and the reason(s) why you wish to amend the order.

Additionally, in the motion to amend, you should state what the latest order of the court says, what you wish to amend, and the reason(s) why you wish to amend the order.

INFO

Applies to

Motion to amend

You do not, however, need to file a new petition.

You do not, however, need to file a new petition.