Beginning on June 17, 2019, attorneys filing a new complaint for custody, or a petition to modify a custody order or petition for contempt in an existing custody case, need not take such pleadings to Motions Court for a judge's signature.

As an alternative to taking such pleadings to Motions Court, attorneys may mail them to, or drop them off at, Court Administration, along with all required, related papers and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The mailing should include a praecipe for the next available custody conference list, a pre-trial conference statement, a criminal record or abuse history verification, an entry of appearance signed by the mailing attorney, and a confidential access form per the public access policy. The mailing attorney shall also include one copy of each document submitted. Court Administration will forward such pleadings to the Custody Office, which will review them and will present them to a judge for signature. If the judge determines that the pleadings are defective, the pleadings will be returned to the mailing attorney in the self-addressed, stamped envelope. Thereafter, the pleadings will be forwarded to the Prothonotary's Office, which will file them, will place the matter on the next available custody conference list, and will return time­ stamped copies of all filed documents to the filing attorney in the self-addressed, stamped envelope.

All other custody pleadings, such as emergency petitions and petitions for special relief, must be taken to Motions Court between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, for presentation to a judge.

THIS CHANGE DOES NOT APPLY TO PARTIES REPRESENTING THEMSELVES, WHO MUST BRING ALL CUSTODY FILINGS TO MOTIONS COURT BETWEEN 9:00 A.M. AND 9:30 A.M., MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, FOR A REVIEW BY A CUSTODY CONFERENCE OFFICER AND PRESENTATION TO A JUDGE.