By Michael Mattice
If you have been assigned to a family law or domestic relations or juvenile court, get ready for a whole new language! Lawyers and judges in these courts routinely use dozens of acronyms to save time in their conversations and space in their documents. Unfamiliarity with these “acronyzed” terms and other family law slang may, for the unprepared court reporter (hereinafter, “CSR”), cause stress that more than offsets the economy in keystrokes.
The problem is two-fold for CSRs. There is a wide variety of terms, and there are no uniform rules of pronunciation. Whereas some acronyms are spelled out, so that “CSR” for example is pronounced “see əss ar,” others are pronounced in ways that resemble a fourth grader’s first venture into reading a foreign language. Thus we have FLAR PL’s (“flar’ pəls”), UIFSA (“ew if ’ sə”), and QDRO ’s (“kwa’ droz”). (Pop quiz: How do you say FUSFSPA? Or UIEDVPOA?)
The following is a list of the acronyms most commonly used on the record in family law courts and a bit of slang. Pronunciations are offered when the acronym is not simply spelled out.
Regrettably for CSRs, this list only addresses some of the slang heard during the average family law calendar because of localized dialect in this legal field and also because practitioners tend to make nouns or verbs at will out of case names. We’ll hear, for example, of pensions that are either Verner-ized1 or Gillmore-ed,2 or both, and unmarried couples who Marvin-ize.3 When spousal support is being discussed, get ready for “Gavron4 orders,” and “Zlatnik, 5 anti-Vomacka6 language.”
Enjoy!
AB assembly bill
ADR alternative dispute resolution
AP account payable
AP alternate payee (of pension benefits)
AR account receivable
ATRO automatic temporary restraining order (or “ah’ tro¯ ” [pl. “ah’ tro¯ z”])
AVD alternate (or alternative) valuation date
B&P Business and Professions (Code)
BF biological father (or “bio-dad”)
BF boyfriend (sometimes also “bio-dad”)
BFP bona fi de purchaser
BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bifo bifurcation (“by’ fo¯ h”)
BK bankruptcy
BM birth mother (or “bio-mom”)
C child (sometimes, C1 and/or C2, etc.)
CASDI California state disability insurance (or “kaz’ di”)
CASIT California state income tax (or “kah’ sit”)
CCE child care expense
CCP Code of Civil Procedure
Cert certiorari (or “sərt”)
CMC case management conference
COBRA Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (or “ko¯ ’ brə”)
COLA cost of living allowance (or “ko¯ ’ lə”)
CP custodial parent (see also NCP, below)
CP community property
CPA certifi ed public accountant
CPS Child Protective Services
CRC California Rules of Court (usually mentioned by the judge)
CS child support
DCSS Department of Child Support Services
Depub depublished (or “di pub’d”)
Disso dissolution (of marriage)
DOB date of birth
Docs documents (“dahks”)
DOG date of grant (of stock options, distinguished from “you dog!”)
DOH date of hire
DOM date of marriage
DOR date of retirement
DOS or DOMS date of (marital) separation
DOS date of strike (of stock options, sometimes, “strike date”)
DP domestic partner (see also, RDP)
DRO domestic relations order (or “dro¯ ”; these usually relate to pensions)
DRTRA Domestic Relations Tax Reform Act (or “der’ trə”)
DV domestic violence
DVPA Domestic Violence Protection Act
DVRO domestic violence restraining order
EC evidence code (also usually mentioned by the judge)
EPO’s emergency protective orders, or ex parte orders
ERISA Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ə ris’ ə”)
ESOP employee stock option (or ownership) plan (“ee’ sop”)
Eval evaluation (usual usages: “vo¯ c eval”; “custody eval”)
FCCR family centered case resolution
FCCRP family centered case resolution plan
FCS Family Court Services
FDD final declaration of disclosure
FERS Federal Employees Retirement System
FICA Federal Insurance Contributions Act (“fy’ kə”)
FIFO first in, fi rst out (“fy’ fo¯ ”; see also LIFO, below)
FIT federal income tax
FLARPL family law attorneys’ real property lien (“fl ar’ pəl”)
FMV fair market value
FPKPA Federal Parental Kidnapping Protection Act
FRV fair rental value
FTB Franchise Tax Board
FUSFSPA Federal Uniformed Services Former Spouse’s Protection Act (“fuf’ spə”)
GF girlfriend (sometimes aka “BM” or “bio-mom”)
GM grandmother
H husband (sometimes, H1 and/or H2 etc., sometimes formerly known as“BF”)
HEW health, education, and welfare
HH-MLA head of household, married living apart
I&E Income and Expense Declaration (sometimes “IED” or “FL-150”)
ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ice”)
ICWA Indian Child Welfare Act (“ick’ wə”)
INS Immigration and Naturalization Service
IRA individual retirement account (“eye’ rə”)
IRC Internal Revenue Code
IRMO in re-marriage of (“er’ mo¯ ”)
IRS Internal Revenue Service
JT joint tenancy
K thousand (typical usage: “This house has $35K of equity in it.”)
LIFO last in, fi rst out (“ly’ fo¯ ”; see also FIFO, above)
LLC limited-liability company
LTA living together (or long term) arrangement
M million
M marriage
M mother
Mmmm This cake tastes good. Whose birthday is it?
MFJ married filing jointly
MFS married filing separately
MOD modification (“mahd”)
MSA Marital Settlement Agreement
MSC mandatory settlement conference
MSOL marital standard of living
NCP non-custodial parent
Nonpub non-published
NP natural parent
OT overtime
OPM Office of Personnel Management (federal)
OSC order to show cause
P&A Points and Authorities (sometimes “peez ‘n ayz”)
PAS parental alienation syndrome
PAS preliminary alcohol screening (“pahz”)
PC penal code
PDD preliminary declaration of disclosure
PERS Public Employee Retirement System (“purz”, sometimes “Cal-PERS”)
PI personal injury
PI private investigator
PKPA Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act
POPS Parental Opportunity Program statement (or declaration; usually: “pahps dek”)
Prenup prenuptial
Psych psychological (“syke testing” or “do we need a psych?” or “you need a psych!”)
QCP quasi-community property
QDRO qualified domestic relations order (“kwa’ dro¯ ”)
QJSA qualified joint survivor annuity
QMCSO qualified medical child support order (“kwam’ sko¯ ”)
QPSA qualified pre-retirement survivor annuity (“kwip’ sə”)
QRI qualified residence interest
Quit Can we quit this quazy stuff and go get a beer?
RDP registered domestic partner
REA Retirement Equity Act (“ri’ ə”)
Recomp recomputation (“ree cahmp”)
Refi refinance (“ree fy”)
RFA request for admissions
RFO request for order
RO restraining order
RURESA Revised Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act (“rər ee’ sə”)
S & L savings and loan
S & M (Don’t ask)
SB Senate bill
SC status conference
SCRA Servicemember’s Civil Relief Act
S/E self-employed (compare “1099 earner” and “W-2 employee”)
SH shareholders
SL or SOL statute of limitations
SIDS sudden infant death syndrome (“sids”)
SLAPP strategic lawsuits against public participation (“slap,” sometimes “antislap”)
SLC sole legal custody
SM subject matter jurisdiction
SOD statement of decision
SP separate property
SPC sole physical custody
SS spousal support
SSI supplemental security income
Stip stipulation
STRS State Teachers Retirement System (“stərz”)
T trustee (sometimes “’tee”)
TCT trial court
TS time-share (either child time-sharing between parents, or a condo in Hawaii)
TANF Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (“tan’ əf”)
TILA or TLA Truth in Lending Act (“tee’ lə”)
TIN taxpayer identification number
TMC trial management conference
TPR termination of parental rights
TRDP termination of registered domestic partnership
TRO temporary restraining order
TSC trial setting conference
TSOD tentative statement of decision
UCCJA Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act
UCCJEA Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act
UFTA Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act
UIEDVPOA Uniform Interstate Enforcement of Domestic Violence Protection Orders Act
UIFSA Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (“ew if’ sa”)
Unpub unpublished (or “ən pub’d”)
UPA Uniform Parentage Act
UPAA Uniform Premarital Agreement Act
URESA Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act (“ər ee’ sə”)
USC United States Code (distinguished from “fight on, fight on, for USC!”)
USCA United States Code, Annotated
USSCT United States Supreme Court (sometimes “SCOTUS” or “sko¯ ’ təs”)
VAWA Violence Against Women Act (“va’ wə”)
VTC vocational training counselor
W wife (sometimes, W1 and/or W2 etc., sometimes formerly known as “GF”)
W-2 IRS form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement (tax records for “W-2 employees”)
W&I Welfare and Institutions (Code, sometimes “WIC”)
WD withdrawal
WCAB Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board
WHA withholding allowance
WIP work in progress
1. Verner v. Verner (1978) 77 Cal.App.3d 718 [143 Cal.Rptr. 826]
2. In re Marriage of Gillmore (1981) 29 Cal.3d 418 [174 Cal.Rptr. 493; 629 P.2d 1]
3. Marvin v. Marvin (1976) 18 Cal.3d 660 [134 Cal.Rptr. 815; 557 P.2d 106]
4. In re Marriage of Gavron (1988) 203 Cal.App.3d 705 [250 Cal.Rptr. 148]
5. In re Marriage of Zlatnik (1988) 197 Cal.App.3d 1284 [243 Cal.Rptr. 454]
6. In re Marriage of Vomacka (1984) 36 Cal.3d 459, 204 Cal.Rptr. 568, 683 P.2d 248
Please note: A few of these entries are unique to California, e.g. CASIT – California State Income Tax (or “ka’ sit”). However, most are heard throughout the United States. Also, lawyers and judges in other states have used analogous acronization techniques, e.g., Massachusetts State Income Tax is known as “MASIT” (“ma’ sit”).
The Hon. Michael Mattice has been a California Superior Court judge since 2003, and has had supervising family law, all-purpose felony, all-purpose civil, and appellate division assignments.
