By Neta, founder of SortMyDivorce · Updated
It is usually the first substantive time a judge looks at your case, and it is not a trial, not a hearing, and not the place your case gets decided. This guide is for Ontario. "Case conference" is an Ontario term of art under the Family Law Rules. British Columbia has a different mechanism with a different name. Alberta does not use the term at all — see the note at the foot of this page.
| Governing rule | Rule 17 of the Ontario Family Law Rules; the purposes are set out at Rule 17(4). |
|---|---|
| When it happens | Typically the first substantive judicial appearance after the First Appearance Court stage. |
| What it is for | Narrowing issues, ensuring disclosure, exploring settlement, and setting a timetable. |
| What it is not | A trial. Your case is not decided here. |
| Who attends | You, your lawyer if you have one, the other party and theirs, and a judge. |
| The judge's posture | Largely managerial and settlement-oriented rather than adjudicative. |
| Best preparation | Knowing exactly what is agreed, what is disputed, and what disclosure is outstanding. |
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The Ontario Court of Justice sets out the purposes of a case conference by reference to Rule 17(4). They are:
"exploring the chances of settling the case". "identifying the issues that are in dispute and those that are not". "exploring ways to resolve the issues that are in dispute". "ensuring disclosure of the relevant evidence, including… financial information". "identifying any issues relating to any expert evidence or reports". "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". "organizing a settlement conference, or holding one if appropriate". "giving directions with respect to any intended motion". in the case of a motion to change a final order or agreement, "determining the most appropriate process".
Read that list as a whole and the character of the event becomes obvious. Nine of the eleven purposes are about narrowing, organising, scheduling and settling. None of them is about deciding who is right.
The judge is managing, not ruling. A case conference judge is trying to work out what is actually in dispute, whether the parties have the information they need, and what the next sensible step is. They will often express a view about how a case looks — and that view can be extremely influential in settlement discussions — but they are not determining the outcome.
Disclosure is on the agenda whether you like it or not. "Ensuring disclosure of the relevant evidence, including… financial information" is an express purpose. If your disclosure is incomplete, expect to be asked about it directly, and expect a timetable to be imposed.
Admissions are being sought. "Noting admissions that may simplify the case" means the court is actively looking for things everyone agrees on so they can be taken off the table. This is a feature, not a trap — every issue removed is one you stop paying to argue about.
You will leave with dates. Setting the next step and a specific timetable are express purposes. Whatever else happens, you should come away knowing what has to happen by when.
The preparation that matters is not legal. It is knowing your own case.
Be able to state, in one page, what is agreed and what is not. Issue by issue: property, home, pensions, support, parenting, costs. This is precisely what purpose two of Rule 17(4) is aimed at, and arriving with it already done is the single most useful thing you can bring.
Know the state of disclosure — both sides. What you have produced, what is outstanding from you and why, and what is missing from them. If you are asked and cannot answer, a timetable gets set around a picture nobody has confirmed.
Know your positions and their reasons. Not just what you want. Why, in terms that make sense to someone who does not know your marriage.
Know what you would settle for. Settlement is the first-listed purpose. A conference where one party has genuinely not considered what they would accept cannot achieve its main aim.
Bring the offer history. What has been proposed, by whom, when, and how positions have moved. A judge exploring the chances of settlement will find it useful, and so will you.
Ask your lawyer what is expected of you. Practice varies between courts and between judges. Whether you will be expected to speak, whether documents must be filed in advance and by when, and how long the conference will run are all questions with specific answers.
It is not a trial. No witnesses, no cross-examination, no evidence tested, no determination of disputed facts.
It is not where you tell your story. This is the expectation most likely to lead to disappointment. Case conferences are short and issue-focused. The history of the marriage is not on the agenda, however much of it feels relevant.
It is not a settlement conference. They are different steps under Rule 17, though the rule contemplates organising a settlement conference or holding one at the case conference if appropriate.
It is not where you win. The value of a case conference is narrowing, organising and, often, a judicial steer that changes how both sides see the case. Those are real, and they are not the same as winning.
From the Ontario Court of Justice's own guide for self-represented litigants, two practical requirements that catch people out.
Rule 17(14) requires you to confer, or attempt to confer, with the other party about the issues in dispute before the conference. This is not optional politeness — it is built into the rule, and turning up having made no attempt is noticed.
Form 17F, Confirmation of Conference, must be delivered to the court office no later than 2:00 p.m. three days before the conference. Missing that deadline can mean the conference does not proceed.
Ask your lawyer to confirm both apply to your conference type and court, since the guidance above is drawn from the Court's trial-focused guide.
Practice varies by court and by judge, but the shape is generally consistent: the judge will have read the filed materials, will want to know what is agreed and what is not, will probe the disputed issues to see where movement is possible, will address disclosure, and will set the next step and a timetable.
Conferences are usually short. Courts list several in a day. That is a further argument for arriving with a one-page summary rather than expecting to work it out in the room.
British Columbia has a comparable mechanism in the Supreme Court called a Judicial Case Conference, under its own family rules, with its own form and its own requirements. It is not the same thing as an Ontario case conference and should not be assumed to work the same way.
Alberta does not use "case conference" as a term of art in this sense. Alberta family matters move through their own processes under the Court of King's Bench family practice notes.
Verification note — Alberta. Some law firm content refers to an "Early Intervention Case Conference" in Alberta and attributes it to Family Law Practice Note 7. Our research indicates Practice Note 7 does not define such a process — it concerns evaluative and therapeutic interventions. We have therefore deliberately not described an Alberta equivalent. If you are in Alberta, ask your lawyer what the current process is; do not rely on the term "case conference".
Verification note — Alberta. Some law firm content refers to an "Early Intervention Case Conference" in Alberta and attributes it to Family Law Practice Note 7. Our research indicates Practice Note 7 does not define such a process — it concerns evaluative and therapeutic interventions. We have therefore deliberately not described an Alberta equivalent. If you are in Alberta, ask your lawyer what the current process is; do not rely on the term "case conference".
Verification notes. 1. The text of Rule 17 itself was not read directly — Ontario's e-Laws site requires JavaScript and CanLII blocks automated access. The purposes above are quoted from the Ontario Court of Justice's own published page, which cites Rule 17(4). Subrule numbering beyond 17(4) is unverified. 2. The British Columbia Judicial Case Conference is mentioned for orientation only; its rule number, form and requirements were not verified for this guide and are deliberately not stated. 3. The Alberta position is a negative finding — see the note in the body.
No. It is a judicial appearance, but its purposes under Rule 17(4) are managerial and settlement-oriented rather than adjudicative. Your case is not decided there.
Generally yes, and attending matters — settlement discussion is difficult if a party is absent. Confirm the requirement with your lawyer; there are limited circumstances in which attendance may be handled differently.
Rule 17(4) expressly includes giving directions with respect to intended motions and setting timetables, and courts do make procedural orders. What can be ordered, and in what circumstances, is a technical question — ask your lawyer about your specific situation rather than assuming either way.
It is a courtroom. Dress as you would for a serious professional appointment, arrive early, address the judge as instructed by your lawyer, and do not interrupt or react visibly to what the other side says. The last one is harder than it sounds and it is noticed.
A case conference is not where facts are tested. Note it, tell your lawyer, and let them decide whether and how it is addressed. Trying to correct the record yourself in the room rarely helps.
You should leave with a next step and a timetable. Write both down before you leave the building, and put every date somewhere with an alert on it.
Last reviewed August 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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