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Civil Court / ADR Program

Questions about the Solano Superior Court ADR Programs may be submitted by e-mail to: ADR@Solano.courts.ca.gov.

Solano Court Part of Civil Litigation Study By UC Davis Research Team:
The Solano Court is very pleased to have been chosen as a site for a national study of what litigants in civil actions want from legal procedures. This study is funded by the National Science Foundation and the American Bar Association. The study of the Solano Court is being conducted by Dr. Donna Shestowsky, and her research team, at the University of California, Davis, School of Law. This research project is designed to assess what services litigants in civil actions want from the legal system. In the data gathering phase of the study litigants are randomly selected from cases filed in Solano County. Selected litigants are then mailed a survey instrument and information about the study. The survey material is mailed directly from Dr. Shestowsky's research team at the University of California, Davis. The court is not directly involved in distributing the survey or otherwise collecting the data for this project. The court does, however, encourage all litigants who receive the survey to participate in this important project. For further information about the project, please contact: Dr. Donna Shestowsky at dshest@ucdavis.edu.

ADR Contact Telephone Numbers:
Arbitration Program:                    707-561-7931
Mediation Program:                     707-207-7413
HENCE Evaluation Program:       707-207-7440

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR):

The peaceful resolution of disputes in a fair, timely and cost-effective manner is an essential function of the judicial branch of government. In the case of many disputes, litigation that requires a trial is costly, time-consuming, and stressful for the parties involved. Many disputes can be resolved in a fair and equitable manner through less formal processes.

It is the policy of the court to encourage and facilitate alternatives to trial such as mediation and arbitration. It is obviously in the interests of the parties and the court to resolve disputes early in the process. Non-adversarial ADR can achieve a just and effective settlement that benefits everyone.
There are many creative methods of dispute resolution. The most commonly used processes are mediation, arbitration, and neutral evaluation.  ADR is often successful because of its flexibility. It leaves control of the process and the outcome in the hands of the parties.

Mediation and arbitration can be a cost-effective and more satisfying method of resolving many disputes. Nearly all litigated cases are resolved by compromise and settlement - not trial. The court strongly encourages and facilitates early, cost-effective and fair approaches to settlement.

         Arbitration:

In arbitration, a neutral arbitrator reviews presentations from both sides and makes a decision.  Such presentations could include documents related to the dispute and witness testimony provided during arbitration.  The arbitrator's decision may or may not be binding.  If the decision is binding, it generally is final and cannot be appealed or challenged.  If the arbitrator's decision is non-binding, you could take your case to trial if you do not agree with the decision.

          Mediation:

In mediation, a neutral mediator helps parties on both sides work out their differences through a confidential process.  Both sides participate in discussions and negotiations aimed at finding a way to resolve the conflict.  If no agreement is reached, the mediator has no power to decide the case and those involved may seek to resolve the dispute in other ways. 

          Neutral Evaluation:

The Solano Superior Court's evaluation program is called "HENCE" or Helpful Early Neutral Case Evaluation.  This neutral evaluation program starts early in the litigation process to identify and clarify the central issues of the dispute, access the merits of the case, assist with discovery planning, promote the informal exchange of information, and facilitate productive settlement discussions.

Follow these helpful links for more information about Alternative Dispute Resolution:

What is Alternative Dispute Resolution? (Judicial Council of California)
How can I resolve my dispute without trial? (English) (Spanish) (California Bar Association)
What is Arbitration? (California Bar Association)
What is Mediation? (California Bar Association)
How can I find a Mediator? (Solano Superior Court Panel of Mediators)
How can I find an Arbitrator? (Solano Superior Court Panel of Arbitrators)
How can I find a neutral evaluator? (Solano Superior Court Panel of HENCE Evaluators)

Learn about the four ADR processes offered by the Court and how to prepare for them by watching these videos. Includes scenes demonstrating mediation, settlement conference, neutral evaluation, and arbitration.

Assignment of Judges:
It is the policy of this court to manage all cases from the time the complaint is filed until a final disposition has been achieved.  Upon the filing of the complaint, the case shall be assigned to one judge for all purposes.  That means that each time you come to court it will be in front of the same judge unless, for some reason, your case is reassigned.

Legal Advice:
Clerks in the civil division are prohibited from giving legal advice. This includes, but is not limited to, assistance in filling out legal forms and advice on legal procedures.

If you need legal advice, you should contact an attorney or one of the following:
Legal References:

• Lawyers Referral Service (707) 422-0127
• Legal Aid (800) 270-7252
• Bar Referral (707) 422-5087
• Self-Help Center: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp
• EZ Legal File: www.EZLegalfile.org

If you plan to proceed with your case without an attorney, you may use the Solano County Law Library, located on the third floor of the Hall of Justice in Fairfield, for reference material.

General Civil Procedures:
It is important to file any and all documents you want the judge to review well in advance of your hearing. For details on how to file your documents, see the Civil FAQ's.

Many of the documents you will need to file (such as a complaint or an answer) are available as pre-printed fillable forms. You can get many of the court forms you will need at the court clerk's office or online (select "civil" from the drop down menu ).

There are fees for the filing of certain forms (such as a complaint or an answer). You can find a list of the filing fees here. If you cannot afford to pay the fees, you may apply for a fee waiver. The form, instructions and proposed order are available here; select "fee waiver" from the drop down menu. PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY.

You can find out more about your type of civil case by talking to a lawyer, using online information, or visiting the law library at the Hall of Justice in Fairfield.

You can get information about your case online.
You can get copies of documents in your case file by visiting the civil clerk's office of the court branch where your case is assigned and paying the copy fees ($0.50 for each 1-sided page, $1.00 for each 2-sided page).

You can get transcripts of your court hearings by making a request to the court reporter who was present at your hearing. You can get that information by contacting the civil clerk's office. There will be a fee for the transcript; please ask the court reporter at the time you make your request. Please note that it can take several weeks to receive your transcript.

8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays. 

You may file your documents at either location. However, if you have a hearing in the next few days you should file your documents at the courthouse where it is assigned to make sure it gets to the judge before the hearing.

Civil drop box:
Between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. you may drop your papers for filing into the drop box at the civil clerk's office at either the Hall of Justice in Fairfield or the Solano Justice Center in Vallejo. Your papers will be file-stamped with the same date that they were placed into the drop box. If your filing requires a fee, please SECURELY attach a check ~DO NOT ATTACH CASH~ to your documents. If you want an endorsed-filed copy returned to you, include an extra copy of your documents and a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Filing by Mail:
You may also file your documents by mailing them to one of the addresses listed above. PLEASE allow adequate time from the date of mailing for your documents to arrive at the court. If your filing requires a fee, please SECURELY attach a check ~DO NOT ATTACH CASH~ to your documents. If you want an endorsed-filed copy returned to you, include an extra copy of your documents and a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Filings by Fax:
Solano County does not accept filings received by FAX.  Documents received by fax may be presented for filing in person, or by mail, with the applicable fees by a FAX filing agency, attorney's office or other third party pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 2.303.

Office Hours:
8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays

Phone Hours:
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding Court holidays

Fairfield: (707) 207-7330
Vallejo: (707) 561-7830

Filing Fees
Please click on the Statewide Civil Filing Fee Schedule to see a full listing of all filing fees effective July 28, 2009.

Forms
Local and Judicial Council pre-printed forms are available in the Civil Division at either court location. For fillable online forms, please click here for local forms or here (select "civil" from the drop down menu) for Judicial Council forms.

Ex Parte Hearings
Ex parte matters will be heard only upon appointment scheduled through the assigned judge's assistant. The ex parte application shall comply with California Rule of Court 3.1200-3.1207 and a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours notice is considered reasonable notice of the intention to apply for an ex parte order.

Telephonic Appearances
Solano County Superior Court now offers you the option of appearing telephonically on certain civil matters pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 3.670. Fees are charged by the service provider for this option. To make arrangements for telephonic appearances please contact:

COURT CALL
Phone: (310) 342-0888 or (888) 882-6878
Fax: (310) 743-1850 or (888) 883-2946