DVHelp.ai documentation

DVHelp.ai is a free, trauma-informed assistant that prepares a complete Domestic Violence Restraining Order package for any Superior Court of California. This guide explains how the product works, what each generated form does, and how to use the package once you download it.

Introduction

DVHelp.ai walks you through the same questions a clinic intake worker would ask, and turns your answers into the seven court forms a typical California DV petitioner needs to file. It is built for survivors who do not have an attorney, do not have time to learn court procedure, and need a calm, private space to put their story on the record.

The product does not give legal advice. It does not file your forms for you. It does the clerical work of mapping your story to the right boxes on the right forms — accurately, and without judgement.

How it works

At a high level, three things happen between when you sign in and when you download a PDF:

• A guided chat collects your information section by section. The AI never asks for more than it needs and explains why it is asking.
• Each answer is mapped to the corresponding field on the matching court form. You can review and edit every field at any time from the form review panel.
• When the form is complete, a single click generates one PDF that contains every required form for your case, ending with an AI-drafted Declaration in Support.

Account & sign-in

Sign-in uses a one-time code (OTP) sent to your email. There is no password to remember and no account creation step. The first time you sign in with a given email address, an account is created automatically.

The chat experience

The chat is organised into nine sections. You can see your progress at the top of the screen and jump back at any point. Each section maps to one part of the DV-100 form:

• Your info — petitioner name, contact details, attorney status.
• Respondent — the person you want protection from.
• Relationship — how you know each other (Family Code §6209 categories).
• Existing orders — any open court cases or prior restraining orders.
• Recent incident — the most recent abuse, in your own words.
• Other incidents — earlier patterns and key past incidents.
• Others to protect — children or household members.
• Firearms — whether the respondent has access to weapons.
• Orders requested — what you want the court to order.

Form review & editing

At any time you can click Review Form in the header to open the review panel. It shows every field that has been collected so far, grouped by section, and lets you correct anything inline. Edits save immediately and persist across sessions.

Downloading your package

When the form is complete the chat surfaces a green "Form Ready" banner with a single button: Download Court Package. Clicking it generates one PDF that contains all of the required forms for your specific case, plus an AI-drafted Declaration in Support, in the order the court expects them.

The selection of forms is automatic. If you have children, the package includes the custody-related forms. If child support is requested, it includes the income forms. If you do not, those forms are omitted.

Forms generated

DVHelp.ai supports the seven forms that cover the great majority of DV petitions in Orange County. Each is described in detail below.

DV-100 — Request for Domestic Violence Restraining Order

The principal form. It identifies the parties, describes the relationship, summarises up to three recent incidents of abuse, lists firearms in the respondent's possession, and specifies the orders being requested (no-contact, stay-away, custody, move-out, firearms surrender, and others).

CLETS-001 — Confidential CLETS Information

The confidential descriptive sheet that law enforcement uses to identify the respondent if the order is issued. Includes physical description, vehicle, employer, and identifying marks. This form is sealed from public view.

DV-105 — Request for Child Custody and Visitation Orders

Included automatically when children are listed as protected persons. Captures requested physical/legal custody arrangements and supervised-visitation parameters.

FL-105 / GC-120 — UCCJEA Declaration

Required by the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act whenever a custody request is part of the petition. Documents where each child has lived for the past five years to establish California's jurisdiction.

FL-150 — Income and Expense Declaration

Included when child support or spousal support is requested. Captures both parties' income, monthly expenses, and household composition. Used by the court to calculate guideline support.

Declaration in Support of Request

The narrative that ties everything together. After the official forms, DVHelp.ai appends a formal court-formatted declaration in your voice, signed under penalty of perjury, that retells each incident in chronological order and ends with a "Basis for Immediate Protection" paragraph. This is the document the judge reads to decide whether to grant the temporary order on the same day.

Privacy & security

• All data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest (Firebase Firestore).
• Sessions are stored in HTTP-only cookies, not in browser storage that scripts can read.
• Only you can see your conversations. Conversations are scoped to your account.
• Our AI provider does not retain your conversation for training.
• You can delete a conversation at any time from the sidebar.

Safety while using DVHelp.ai

If you suspect the device or network you are using is monitored:

• Use a private/incognito window so nothing is saved to history.
• Sign out and clear cookies before closing the browser.
• If possible, use a device the respondent does not have physical access to (a public library, a friend's phone, a workplace computer).

Filing your forms

Once you have downloaded the PDF, the next steps happen at the courthouse:

• Print three copies of the package (one for the court, one to be served on the respondent, one for you).
• Take them to your local California Superior Court's family-law courthouse. Each county has its own filing location — search “[your county] Superior Court family law” or visit courts.ca.gov/find-my-court. In Orange County, that's the Lamoreaux Justice Center at 341 The City Drive South, Orange, CA 92868.
• The clerk will review the forms, assign a case number, and schedule a hearing within 21 days.
• If the judge grants a temporary restraining order (TRO), it takes effect the day it is signed.
• The respondent must be personally served before the hearing. The sheriff's civil division will do this for free in DV cases.

Attaching your photos and messages (exhibits)

When you tell DVHelp.ai during the chat that you have a photo of injuries, a text message from the respondent, or any other piece of evidence, we don't accept uploads. Instead, the court package we generate includes a cover page for each exhibit (Exhibit “A”, Exhibit “B”, and so on). California family courts handle photo evidence this way — they prefer paper copies they can read into the case file.

Here's how to assemble your packet:

• Print the whole court package from the PDF we generate. You'll see one or more cover pages near the end labeled EXHIBIT “A”, EXHIBIT “B”, etc., with a yellow instruction box that says “ATTACH PHOTO BEHIND THIS PAGE”.
• Print your photos separately on plain paper. Color is fine; black-and-white is also accepted. One photo per page is easiest, but you can put two on a page if needed.
• Print message screenshots the same way — text messages, emails, social media posts. Make sure the sender's name or phone number is visible in the screenshot.
• Place each printed photo or screenshot directly behind its matching cover page. A photo described as “bruise on left arm” goes behind Exhibit “A” if that's what your declaration references.
• Staple or paper-clip each cover page to its attachment so they don't separate at the courthouse.
• Make three complete copies of the assembled packet (one for the court, one for the respondent to be served, one for yourself).

The declaration narrative we generate already references each exhibit by letter (“attached hereto as Exhibit ‘A’”), so the judge will know exactly which photo or message relates to which incident.

Resources & hotlines

• Emergency: 911
• National DV Hotline (24/7, all of California): 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788)
• California State Bar Lawyer Referral: 1-866-442-2529 · calbar.ca.gov/lrs
• StrongHearts Native Helpline: 1-844-762-8483
• Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860
• Find your county's Self-Help Center: selfhelp.courts.ca.gov
• Orange County resources: OC DV Hotline 1-877-854-3594 · OC Family Justice Center 949-470-2030 · Legal Aid Society of Orange County 800-834-5001

FAQ

Is this free?

Yes — completely. DVHelp.ai is free to use, and the court itself does not charge a filing fee for a Domestic Violence Restraining Order under California Family Code §6222. There is also no fee for the sheriff to serve the respondent in a DV case. From start to finish, the process should not cost you any money.

Does this replace an attorney?

No. DVHelp.ai is a clerical assistant — it helps you put your story on the right paper. It cannot give you legal advice or represent you in court. If you can connect with a legal-aid attorney, do — every California county has a legal-aid organization that handles DV cases. The State Bar's lawyer referral line is 1-866-442-2529.

Who built this?

DVHelp.ai is an independent project. It is not affiliated with the Superior Court of California or any law enforcement agency.

Which California counties does this work in?

All of them. The DV-100, DV-105, FL-105/GC-120, and CLETS-001 are statewide California Judicial Council forms — they apply uniformly in every county. The Declaration we generate uses the county you tell the chat you're filing in (it appears in the court caption: “In the Superior Court of the State of California / For the County of [your county]”). Local procedure can vary slightly between counties (e.g. some clerks accept e-filing, others require in-person), so always check with your local Self-Help Center: selfhelp.courts.ca.gov.

Can I use this outside California?

No. The forms are California-specific Judicial Council forms. If you're in another state, search for “[your state] domestic violence restraining order” — every state has its own forms and process.

How do I delete my data?

From the sidebar, hover over a conversation and click the trash icon to permanently delete it. To delete your account entirely, sign out and email the team.