Alberta King's Bench Family Litigation Plan Guide: New Resource for Litigants

• The Alberta Court of King's Bench has released a new guide to help self-represented litigants draft litigation plan orders for family cases.
• This guide outlines necessary pre-trial steps and deadlines, defining key terms like mandatory intake triage conferences and streamlined trials.
• Litigation steps can be agreed upon by counsel or formalized into an order with assistance from a court justice or resolution counsel.
• The initiative is part of the court's broader family-focused protocol, which aims for a resolution-oriented and streamlined approach to family matters.
• The guide explicitly states it does not provide legal advice, serving instead as a procedural roadmap.

This comprehensive guide aims to promote efficiency and fairness within family law proceedings by standardizing the preparation of litigation plan orders.

The Alberta Court of King's Bench has introduced a significant resource aimed at enhancing the efficiency and fairness of family law proceedings across the province. This new guide, specifically designed to assist self-represented litigants, provides a clear framework for preparing litigation plan orders in family cases. Its primary objective is to outline the necessary steps and deadlines that lead up to a trial, ensuring a more structured and predictable path through the legal process.

Available on the court's dedicated family-focused protocol webpage, this Alberta King's Bench family litigation plan guide serves as a foundational document for individuals navigating complex family matters. It represents a proactive step by the court to standardize expectations and provide accessible information, thereby contributing to a more streamlined approach for all parties involved in Alberta family law litigation orders.

The comprehensive guide details various essential procedural terms, offering definitions for concepts such as mandatory intake triage conferences, settlement conferences, and streamlined trials. It clarifies that a trial becomes necessary only when parties are unable to reach an agreement on how to resolve their issues. For cases where at least one party is represented by counsel, the litigation steps leading to trial can be mutually agreed upon.

However, in situations where no party has legal representation, a court justice or resolution counsel can provide assistance in outlining these crucial steps. These agreed-upon or assisted steps are then formalized into a specific document known as a litigation plan order (family). The guide further provides a detailed listing and explanation of the usual pre-trial litigation steps, offering valuable insights for drafting litigation plan orders family. It also includes important reminders for litigants who are in the process of preparing these orders with the support of resolution counsel, making it a vital Alberta resolution counsel guide for self-represented litigants family Alberta.

The release of this guide is part of a broader, ongoing effort by the Alberta Court of King's Bench to modernize and improve family law proceedings. Last December, the court issued a notice to both the profession and the public, detailing a new family-focused protocol and other innovative processes. These initiatives, which became effective on January 2, were specifically designed to introduce a more resolution-oriented and streamlined approach to handling family matters.

Further demonstrating its commitment to procedural improvements, the court announced in August 2025 a forthcoming pilot project. This project, set to launch on September 1, 2025, will introduce a 'three-strike rule' for desk divorce packages submitted by counsel and agents. This particular measure underscores the King's Bench family-focused protocol's aim to enhance efficiency and compliance across various aspects of family law administration.

It is crucial for users to understand that the Alberta King's Bench family litigation plan guide explicitly states it does not offer legal advice. Its purpose is purely procedural, serving as a practical tool to help litigants, particularly self-represented individuals, understand and adhere to the court's expectations for pre-trial planning and documentation.

This resource is designed to foster more efficient and predictable family law proceedings by providing a clear roadmap for the steps involved. By standardizing the preparation of Alberta family law litigation orders, the court aims to reduce confusion, minimize delays, and ultimately contribute to a fairer and more accessible justice system for all parties.

Lawyers practicing family law in Alberta should familiarize themselves with this new guide from the Court of King's Bench. It provides a standardized framework for drafting litigation plan orders, which can streamline pre-trial processes and ensure compliance with court expectations, particularly when interacting with self-represented litigants or resolution counsel.

Source: Original reporting via Canadian Legal Newswire