The Case Conference Brief (Form 17A): What Goes In It, and When It Is Due

By Neta, founder of SortMyDivorce · Updated September 3, 2026

The case conference is the first time a judge reads your case, and the brief is what they read. Form 17A is the document that turns months of correspondence into five parts a judge can absorb in the time available. This guide covers what each part is asking for, the service deadlines that sit around the conference, and the financial statement and confirmation requirements that trip up people who thought the brief was the only thing due. This guide is for Ontario. Form 17A and the case conference are Ontario Family Law Rules procedure. British Columbia's judicial case conference and Alberta's early intervention and case conference processes use different documents and different timelines. A separate guide covers what happens at the conference itself; this one is about the brief.

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What a case conference is for

The Ontario Court of Justice reproduces Rule 17(4) on its case-conference page, and the list is worth reading once in full, because every part of the brief maps onto it. The purposes of a case conference include:

exploring the chances of settling the case;. identifying the issues that are in dispute and those that are not in dispute;. exploring ways to resolve the issues that are in dispute;. ensuring disclosure of the relevant evidence, including the disclosure of financial information required to resolve any support or property issue;. identifying any issues relating to any expert evidence or reports on which the parties intend to rely at trial;. noting admissions that may simplify the case;. setting the date for the next step in the case;. setting a specific timetable for the steps to be taken in the case before it comes to trial;. organizing a settlement conference, or holding one if appropriate;. giving directions with respect to any intended motion, including a timetable for the exchange of material;. in a motion to change a final order or agreement under Rule 15, determining the most appropriate process for a quick and just conclusion.

The court's own description of the occasion: "A case conference is usually your first meaningful appearance before a judge after the First Appearance Court. It is very important that you are prepared for your case conference. This includes completing the case conference brief."

The five parts of Form 17A

The September 2023 version of the form has five parts. Each answers one of the purposes above.

Part 1: Family facts. The applicant's and respondent's ages and birthdates, the relationship dates (married, separated, started living together), and the children. This is the part that is the same in every brief and the part nobody gets wrong; its purpose is to let the judge place the case in ten seconds.

Part 2: Issues. The court's summary of what the form asks for here: "the issues you and the other party agree and do not agree on." This is the heart of the document. A judge reading Part 2 well drafted can see the shape of the case: what is settled, what is contested, and what the contest is actually about.

Part 3: Issues for this case conference. "The issues you want to discuss at the conference" and "how you think the issues should be resolved." Not everything in Part 2 belongs here. Part 3 is what you want this judge, on this day, to do something about. Item 13 asks directly whether you want the court to make a temporary or final order at the conference about any of these issues.

Part 4: Financial information. Details of special expenses if child support is claimed, reasons if you say the Guidelines table amount should not be ordered, and the page or tab of your financial statement in the continuing record. This part is where the 60-day refresh bites, covered below.

Part 5: Procedural issues. What still has to happen before trial: outstanding disclosure, expert reports, motions, and a proposed timetable. It answers the "setting a specific timetable" purpose in Rule 17(4).

When the brief is due

The court's page states the rule: "Rule 17(13.1) (Time for Service of Briefs) of the Family Law Rules deals with the time requirements for serving and filing the documents for the case conference. If you are the Applicant and are requesting the conference, you must serve and file your case conference brief (Form 17A) six (6) days before your case conference. If you are the Respondent, you must serve and file your case conference brief (17A) no later than four (4) days before the case conference."

The brief is served and filed, and both have to happen. Serving it on the other side without filing it, or filing it without serving it, does not meet the rule.

The respondent's four days are meant to follow the applicant's six. The party who asked for the conference goes first, so the other party can respond to what they said. A respondent who files early has answered a brief they have not read; a respondent who files late has not answered at all.

The financial statement refresh

This is the requirement most people discover in the week before the conference. The court's page: "Along with Form 17A, you may need to update your Financial Statement if it is more than 60 days since you completed the original Financial Statement that you filed with the court." You then serve and file one of two documents: "A new Form 13: Financial Statement if there has been a major change to your financial situation," or "A Form 14A: Affidavit, if there is no change or only minor changes to the last financial statement you filed," including details of all the changes.

The timetable is the same as for the brief: "If you are the Applicant or you requested a conference, you must serve and file your new Financial Statement or Affidavit no later than six days before the case conference. If you are the Respondent, you must serve and file these documents four days before the case conference."

And the certificate goes with it: "You also must fill out Form 13A: Certificate of Financial Disclosure. In it, you list all the documents that prove what you said in your financial statement."

One thing to know if you are working from the printed form. Part 4 of the September 2023 Form 17A still carries a note referring to a financial statement "more than 30 days old." That was the threshold before Rule 13 was amended in 2021; the court's guidance reflects the 60-day rule now in force. The separate guide to the Ontario financial statement covers this in more detail.

Confirming the conference

Filing the brief does not confirm you are coming. The court's page: "You need to confirm with the court that you will be attending the case conference with a Form 17F: Confirmation of Conference. It is very important that you read rule 17(14) of the Family Law Rules for more information about confirming your attendance at the conference. You must also fill in Form 17F and deliver it to the court office no later than 2:00 p.m. three days before the conference. If you do not confirm that you will be attending the conference, it could be cancelled by the court."

So the week before a case conference has three deadlines, not one: the brief (six or four days), any financial update (same day), and the confirmation (2 pm, three days before).

Two things about the document itself

It does not go into the continuing record. The court's page: "Form 17A does not go into your Continuing Record unless the judge orders that you put it into the continuing record." The brief is written for a conference judge, which is why it can say what you would settle for. That is also why a brief is not the place to put evidence you will need at trial; evidence belongs in the record.

Personal identifiers come out of the financial statement. "If you are required to serve and file a Financial Statement, before you file your documents, you must remove all financial account numbers and personal identifying information from your Financial Statement." Social insurance numbers, bank account numbers and credit card numbers are blacked out before filing.

Writing a brief the judge can use

Part 2 is a list, not an argument. Agreed: the divorce, the parenting schedule, the sale of the house. Disputed: spousal support quantum and duration, the value of the business, the date of separation. A judge who can see that list has the case.

Part 3 is short and specific. One or two things this conference can actually move. "Disclosure of the corporate financial statements, outstanding since March" is something a judge can address. "Everything" is not.

Every number in Part 4 matches your financial statement. The judge will have both in front of them. A figure that differs between the two documents is the first thing that gets asked about.

Part 5 is a timetable you can keep. Dates for disclosure, reports and motions that you propose are dates you will be held to.

Write it from the record. A brief drafted from memory a week before the conference is the one with the wrong separation date and the offer that was never made. The dates, the issues and the offers all exist in the correspondence; the brief is a summary of it.

What we could not verify

Verification note. The text of Rule 17 was not read from e-Laws for this page, because that site now renders only in a browser. The subrule numbers and periods are as stated on the Ontario Court of Justice's page, which is the court's own guidance; the purposes of a case conference are as that page reproduces Rule 17(4). The Superior Court of Justice's practice directions may add local requirements for briefs in particular regions and are not covered here. Form 17A's printed 30-day note conflicts with the 60-day figure on the court's page; this page follows the court's page.

Common questions

What is the difference between the case conference brief and the settlement conference brief?

Different forms and different purposes. Form 17A is for a case conference, whose purposes are listed in Rule 17(4) above and are about identifying issues, ensuring disclosure and setting a timetable. The settlement conference has its own brief, and its purposes are about settling. This guide is about Form 17A.

Do I need a lawyer to prepare the brief?

Many people prepare their own. The court's page points to a Community Legal Education Ontario guided pathway for completing Form 17A. Part 2 and Part 3 are where a lawyer's view is most valuable, because they set the agenda for the conference.

What if I miss the six-day or four-day deadline?

The rule sets the timetable and the judge will see when the brief was filed. A late brief may not be read in time, and a conference at which the judge has not read your brief is a conference at which your position is not before the court. If you are going to be late, tell the other side and the court in writing, and file what you have.

Does the brief become evidence?

Not on its own. It does not go into the continuing record unless a judge orders it. Treat it as a summary for the conference, and put anything you rely on as evidence into the record separately.

Do I have to update my financial statement every time?

If it is more than 60 days old by the conference, or no longer accurate, yes: a new statement for a major change, or a Form 14A affidavit for no change or minor changes, with Form 13A. If it is under 60 days old and still true, the court's guidance does not require a new one.

How many copies?

The court's page says three: "one for yourself, one for the other party and the original for the court."

Last reviewed September 2026. Researched and written by Neta, founder of SortMyDivorce. I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice — laws, fees and forms change, so please confirm current details with the official sources above or a local family lawyer.

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This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change and differ by jurisdiction — confirm specifics with a local family lawyer or your court's official website. If you use SortMyDivorce, your letters stay confidential — never shared, never sold.