Litigation By The Numbers will help you identify, complete, file, and serve the right Judicial Council form for your case! What's A Judicial Council Form? The Judicial Council of California has devised hundreds of forms, some of which are mandatory and some of which are optional.  (Click here to access all official fillable Judicial Council forms.  Just click the drop down menu where it says "No form group selected" to select forms by name, number, or category, and then click "See Forms".) Do I Have to Use Judicial Council forms? Yes, if it's a "mandatory" form.  (Mandatory forms are designated by a "*" on the forms list, and also are supposed to say "mandatory" on the lower left corner of the form.)  If there is a mandatory form for accomplishing a particular task, e.g., entering the defendant's default, the court clerk will not accept any substitute.  Thus, a perfectly accurate "request to enter default" typed on pleading paper would be rejected, giving the defendant additional time to respond to the complaint.  It is thus imperative to determine whether there is a mandatory Judicial Council form to accomplish your goal.  If a Judicial Council form doesn't say that it's mandatory, then it's optional.  It's important to be aware of Judicial Council forms designated for optional use.  Why spend the time drafting a document when there is a perfectly good form available? How Can Litigation By The Numbers help me with Judicial Council forms? First, you should know that the author actually helps draft the Judicial Council forms!  Her comments to the Judicial Council Forms Committe on three new forms and one revised form were recently adopted by the Judicial Council and incorporated into the forms.  Click here to see the Judicial Council's Comment Matrix for changes to the Notice and Acknowledgment of Receipt and the new Proof of Service Forms. Litigation By The Numbers contains over 30 completed mandatory and optional Judicial Council forms.  It tells you which Judicial Council form(s) you need to accomplish your goal. It explains the purpose of each form. It provides step-by-step instructions for completing the form.  Click here to see sample instructions for completing a Judicial Council form. It tells you the deadlines for filing and serving them, and tells you how to file and serve them. For a list of Judicial Council forms appearing in the book, What Else Can Litigation By The Numbers Do For Me? Click here to find out!