What Is a Family Management Conference in BC?
This answer covers the law of British Columbia.
The name you have heard may not match the name a court uses, so it helps to check which court your case is in. In Provincial Court, your first court date is called the family management conference. In the Supreme Court, the early meeting is called a judicial case conference.
A judicial case conference is not a trial; the court may identify issues, make consent orders, mediate disputed issues, direct a party to the Parenting after Separation program, set timelines for documents and discovery, and give a non-binding opinion on the probable outcome without hearing witnesses. Unless one has been held, a party must not serve a notice of application or supporting affidavit.
In Provincial Court, if your application is about parenting arrangements, child support, spousal support, companion animal property or protection orders, you must complete a Parenting After Separation course before your first court date unless you have an official exemption. The course is free and online. If support is involved, you may also need a financial statement in Form 4. A respondent must file a reply within 30 days after being served with the application. A lawyer can help you confirm which meeting applies to your case.
Key takeaways
- The Provincial Court calls the first court date a family management conference, and the Supreme Court calls its meeting a judicial case conference.
- At a Supreme Court judicial case conference, the court may give a non-binding opinion on the probable outcome without hearing witnesses.
- In Provincial Court, if your application is about parenting arrangements, child support, spousal support, companion animal property or protection orders, you must complete a Parenting After Separation course before your first court date unless you have an official exemption.
- A Provincial Court respondent must file a reply within 30 days after being served with the application.