Legal Advice BasicsPlain-English U.S. law

Just Got Court Papers? The Checklist

Being served is frightening — a checklist beats panic. Work through it in order; your progress saves automatically in your browser (nothing is sent to us).

Companion guides: what to do after receiving court papers ·deadline calculator ·how to answer

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Right now (first hour)

Keep every page — including the envelope — and do not write on the originals.
Find the deadline: look on the summons for "you have __ days to respond" and write it down.
Note exactly how and when you received the papers (in person, left with someone, mailed) and who delivered them.
Photograph or scan every page, front and back, and save copies in two places.

Today

Read the complaint to understand who is suing you, for what, and how much.
Calendar the response deadline with a reminder several days early — use our deadline calculator to estimate the date.
Verify the case is real: find the court’s official phone number independently (not from the papers) and confirm the case number exists.
Do NOT call the opposing party or their lawyer before understanding your position.

This week

Decide how you will respond — read our guide to answering a lawsuit before the deadline gets close.
Gather every document related to the dispute: contracts, receipts, letters, texts, emails, account statements.
Contact legal aid or the court self-help center if you cannot afford a lawyer — bring the papers and your timeline.
If you plan to hire a lawyer, verify their license first with the state bar.
File your response with the court clerk before the deadline and serve a copy on the other side as your court requires.
Keep proof of everything: file-stamped copies, certified mail receipts, and a written timeline of events.

Why the first 48 hours matter most

Almost everything that goes wrong for people who get sued goes wrong at the start: the papers get shoved in a drawer, the deadline slips by, and the case ends in a default judgment before it ever really began. The checklist above front-loads the steps that preserve your options — securing the documents, pinning the deadline, and verifying the case — because those cannot be redone later. Responding well can come after; respondingat all is decided this week.

The single most important number in your life right now is printed on thesummons. Estimate the calendar date with thedeadline calculator, then work backwards: legal aid intake can take days, and courts don't accept "I was waiting to hear back" as a reason to miss a deadline. If you do only three things today: photograph everything, calendar the date, and start the answer.

Frequently asked questions

Why shouldn’t I call the person suing me right away?

Anything you say can be used in the case, and an emotional call made before you understand your position often produces admissions ("I know I owe some of it") that haunt you later. Understand the complaint, know your deadline, and if you want to negotiate, do it deliberately — in writing where possible — or after getting advice from legal aid.

How do I know the papers aren’t a scam?

Fake "court papers" are a real pressure tactic. Verify independently: look up the court’s phone number yourself (never use a number printed on suspicious papers), call the clerk, and ask whether the case number exists. A real case appears in the court’s records; a fake one collapses the moment you check.

What if I can’t afford a lawyer before the deadline?

File your response anyway — self-represented answers are normal, and court self-help centers and legal aid exist for exactly this moment. A filed, imperfect answer keeps your case alive; a perfect answer that never gets filed loses automatically. You can improve your position after the deadline is safe.

This checklist is general legal information, not legal advice. Deadlines and procedures vary by state and court. If the stakes are high or the deadline is near, get help now — ourfree legal help guide shows where.