What Happens at Your First Family Docket Court Appearance in Alberta?

A first family court appearance can feel intimidating, especially if you have never been in a courtroom. It is usually a short step that sorts out where your matter goes next, not a full hearing of everything in dispute.

What happens depends on which court you are in. This article walks through the Court of King's Bench and the Alberta Court of Justice, what to prepare, and how the mandatory requirements fit in. Rules and steps change, so check albertacourts.ca for current details.

This article covers the law of Alberta.

Which court are you in?

The Court of King's Bench has sole jurisdiction over divorce and the division of property in Alberta, and it also deals with child and spousal support and custody and access. The Alberta Court of Justice (Provincial Court) cannot decide divorce applications or property claims, but it hears child and spousal support, parenting arrangements, private guardianship and child protection matters.

If either guardian has started a divorce action, parenting is dealt with in the divorce in the Court of King's Bench rather than through the Family Law Act parenting-order route. Your court papers will tell you which court you are dealing with.

Do the mandatory requirements first

Before family law applications are filed, the Family Justice Strategy requires four mandatory steps in Greater Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and Grande Prairie. In King's Bench, parties seeking relief must complete these requirements, with the Family Court Counsellor meeting applying to self-represented parties where available, unless the matter is urgent or a waiver has been obtained.

Under the Family Justice Strategy, a party who cannot complete a mandatory requirement must file a Request to Waive/Defer Mandatory Requirements form, and listed reasons include family violence concerns, technological barriers, language barriers and being unable to locate the other party. The waiver steps that apply in King's Bench may differ and can change, so check albertacourts.ca for the current process before you rely on this. Urgent matters, such as a risk of violence or immediate harm or a risk of removing a child from the jurisdiction, are exempt.

The Court of King's Bench

Family Docket Court launched in May 2020 in Calgary and Edmonton to assess which services and court processes suit the family. How docket court fits with the newer Family Focused Protocol described below depends on your file and location, so check albertacourts.ca or confirm with a lawyer. The judge first explores a consent order and, if needed, schedules a more formal process such as chambers. Docket dates were expanded in 2025 to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday of each sitting week.

Under the Family Focused Protocol, which took effect January 2, 2026, there are three streams: Regular Family Process, Desk Process and Urgent Process. You must use the booking link to schedule the Mandatory Intake Triage Conference within 30 days of the Court's email. After that conference, further interim applications are allowed only in exceptional circumstances.

The judge may also point you to dispute resolution services. The King's Bench Child Support Resolution Program is available to all parties in Calgary and Edmonton, either by direction from Family Docket Court or voluntarily before it.

The Alberta Court of Justice

In docket court, the judge asks whether the parties have reached agreement. If so, the judge hears the agreement and the Judicial Court Clerk may incorporate some or all of it into a court order. Possible outcomes include an adjournment, an interim order, a final order if everything is settled, or dismissal.

Caseflow Conferences are available only in Calgary, Edmonton and Grande Prairie. Elsewhere, the application goes to Docket Court. Some of these Court of Justice details come from official booklet summaries, so confirm current steps at albertacourts.ca.

Do not miss your date. For a parenting-order application under the Family Law Act, if you do not attend, the judge may make an order in your absence.

What to do next

• Check your court papers for the court, date and any email from the Court about booking a conference.
• Confirm which mandatory requirements apply to you and gather your certificates and forms.
• Complete a Financial Disclosure Statement if support or property is involved.
• Talk to the other party about a consent order; in King's Bench, both parties sign the Consent Order and Ex Parte Application in front of witnesses, and an agreement cannot be filed on its own.
• Bring identification, copies of everything you filed or were served with, and a list of your questions.
• Consider help from a court forms information coordinator, who gives free help with finding and filling out forms.

Family court counsellors can help self-represented people with parenting forms, but they are not lawyers, cannot give legal advice and do not help with child or spousal support applications. A lawyer can confirm which steps apply to your situation.

Frequently asked questions