How to check the petition recvd date in court records

Hello, Could the learned members plz tell me how could I verify the date recorded in court records abt the recievd date of teh petition. A divorce petition is filed by my friend against his wife. Now , how to verify as to what date is recorded in court records as the date when his wife received the petition.Cxan we do this ourselves or do we need to do this in the presence of the lawyer. Plz advise.