Family lawyer Helena Birt explains what the main stages in a family proceeding are in this series of videos. Part 3 discusses First Appearance and the various conferences: Case Conference, Settlement Conference, Trial Management Conference and Dispute Resolution Officer (DRO) Conference.

LINKS
In Ontario, family court cases must follow the rules and procedures set out in legislation, primarily the Family Law Rules: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulatio....

There are also specific court practice directions which may vary from region to region which must also be followed.
There are guides available to assist you in going through the family court process. If your matter is in the Superior Court of Justice, the Ministry of the Attorney General has “A Guide to Process for Cases at the Superior Court of Justice” at: https://www.ontariocourts.ca/scj/news....

If your matter is in the Ontario Court of Justice, the process guide can be found on the provincial court website at: https://www.ontario.ca/document/guide...

The Family Law Rules set out the steps and the need to prepare specific documents for each step in the family court process. These documents are available at: http://ontariocourtforms.on.ca/en/fam.... You can also get these forms at the courthouse.

Steps to Justice, a website https://stepstojustice.ca/legal-topic... created by Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) is also an excellent source of information about how to deal with a family law claim in Ontario. The website has an excellent interactive flowchart at: https://stepstojustice.ca/family-flow... that takes litigants through the family court process, including links to the forms required at each step, and Guided Pathways to help complete those forms.


Warning: The videos on Litigation Help are intended to provide general legal information only. They are not substitutes for legal advice from a legal professional. We do not warrant the accuracy of any of the information in the videos. They are entertainment, informational videos only meant to provide some context to common legal terms or doctrines. If you require legal help, please consult a professional directly.