Website Begins Integration of New Rules

On 1 July 2010, the current Supreme Court Rules of Court will be replaced with two new sets of rules, one for general civil litigation and one for family law matters (PDF). This isn't the sort of tinkering we're used to seeing every summer, this is a stem to stern overhaul with brand new rules and new court forms. Even the names of the parties are changing!

The Rules of Court are tremendously important. They guide the conduct of every aspect of the law suits before the court, from how service is effected to the scheduling of applications to the production of documents and the remedies available when production is inadequate. When the rules change, it's a big deal. It also means that websites like mine need to have overhauls of their own to make sure that they stay current.

A new section of my website, Rules 101, offers an overview of the new family law rules and will be updated from time to time as I'm able to compile the information. So far, Rules 101 has a summary of procedure under the new rules, new rules' deadlines and timelines, and a description of the process for chambers proceedings.

My July 2009 post Government Announces Implementation of New Family Law Rules discusses the new rules and has links to all of the relevant background documents.