How to prepare for a case conference

What is it for?

A case conference is a working court event under Rule 17(4) and (8) ↗. It can narrow the case and set concrete next steps. It may also lead to orders; it is not limited to a discussion.

What Rule 17(4) says the conference can accomplish

• Explore settlement: identify what is agreed, what remains disputed, and ways to resolve those disputes.
• Get the necessary information: ensure disclosure of relevant evidence, including financial information for support or property issues; identify questions about expert evidence and reports.
• Simplify the case: record admissions that remove an issue from dispute.
• Set the path forward: set the date for the next event and a specific timetable before trial; arrange a settlement conference or hold one if appropriate.
• Plan a motion: give directions about an intended motion, including a schedule for exchanging material and, if appropriate, summaries of argument.
• For a motion to change: identify the process most likely to reach a quick and just result.

What can the judge order at a conference?

Under Rule 17(8), the judge may make an appropriate order in these categories. The power to make an order does not mean every request will be granted; the issue, notice, materials, and fairness to the other party matter.

• Disclosure and procedure: order documents, questioning, or motion summaries; set dates and directions for the next steps. The judge can also address expert opinion evidence and require trial scheduling or management endorsements.
• Programs and services: direct a party to attend the listed information, conference, mediation-intake, or community-resource steps.
• Temporary or final relief if notice has been served: Rule 17(8)(b.1) includes temporary preservation orders concerning assets, documents, insurance, benefits, and payments needed to preserve an asset or benefit. A contested substantive request needs clear notice and a fair chance to respond; do not assume a conference brief alone supplies the notice or evidence needed.
• Unopposed and consent orders: if no one opposes a properly raised order, or the parties agree, the judge may make that order under Rule 17(8)(c). On consent, the judge may refer an issue to alternative dispute resolution under Rule 17(8)(d).

When you reach an agreement at the conference: Rule 17(19) says it is not effective until the parties sign it, it is witnessed, and any required approval for a special party is obtained. Ask that agreed terms be recorded clearly and check the resulting endorsement or order. A judge can also set a timetable even where the parties have not agreed on the underlying claim.

What it can and cannot do

What the brief can and cannot do: It helps the judge prepare for the conference. It is not automatically part of the continuing record and does not, by itself, replace proper notice and evidence for contested temporary or final relief. Rule 17(22) governs treatment of conference briefs after the event.

Forms to use and what to put in them

Form 17 is the notice when a party asks for a case conference. Each party’s Form 17A Case Conference Brief should identify the issues agreed and disputed, settlement possibilities, disclosure still needed, and the specific procedural directions or timetable requested. Give relevant dates and a workable proposal; use permitted attachments rather than turning the brief into a large evidence package. Use Form 6B for service proof where required. Form 17F Confirmation identifies what will actually be discussed, time needed, and the precise filed material for the judge.

How to prepare

1. Rule 17: What the law requires.The Family Law Rules ↗ set the conference purpose, forms, service and filing deadlines, confirmation, attendance, and possible orders.
2. Ontario Superior Court directions: How to prepare and file.The provincial family practice direction ↗ sets the 8-page Form 17A limit, formatting, and permitted attachments. Its filing and Case Center directions also matter. The East Region direction ↗ adds regional confirmation and conference-brief instructions.
3. Ottawa: How to get the event scheduled locally.Check the current Ottawa local family notice and the Ottawa court scheduling page ↗. The September 2025 local notice directs case-conference scheduling requests to ottawafamilycourt@ontario.ca, while its filing table puts Form 17A briefs under Justice Services Online. A case-specific order can also change your steps.

Prepare step by step

1. List what you need from the conference.Separate issues that can settle now from disclosure requests and procedural directions. Write down the specific next step or timetable you want the judge to consider.
2. Try to confer beforehand.Rule 17(3.1) calls for the parties to confer or make best efforts about disclosure, procedure, and resolving issues. The rule and practice direction have exceptions for prohibited contact and certain family violence concerns. A written exchange may be appropriate; no phone call is automatically required.
3. Request an Ottawa date, then prepare Form 17A.Before asking for a date, canvass the other side’s availability. Copy them on the scheduling request to ottawafamilycourt@ontario.ca. State whether the date is on consent, any judge seized of the matter, whether a bilingual judge is needed, available or unavailable dates, and the estimated time. Then focus your Form 17A on the issues for this conference. Rule 17 generally requires the requesting party to serve and file conference documents at least six days before, and another party at least four days before, subject to its details and any order. The East Region direction also sets a 5 p.m. four-business-day cutoff for required conference material. Plan around both.
4. Choose attachments carefully.Use the permitted categories and only relevant excerpts. If disclosure is disputed, include a list of outstanding financial disclosure under Rule 13(11.01). Refer to relevant orders and endorsements already in Case Center by their date, judge, and case-generated page number where permitted.
5. File the brief through the right channel.The Ottawa local notice lists case conference briefs under Justice Services Online (Family Submissions Online), distinct from the scheduling request by email. The current provincial direction also permits self-represented people to file by email or in person; check the Ottawa counter’s current instructions if using that option. Keep the court’s acceptance confirmation. Under the current provincial direction, court staff upload accepted filings to Case Center for self-represented people in regions outside Toronto before trial; uploading is not filing.
6. Confirm the event.Give the other parties the Form 17F confirmation and deliver it to the court by 2 p.m. three business days before the conference. Ottawa lists confirmation forms among items that may be emailed to ottawafamilycourt@ontario.ca. State the specific issues and materials the judge should review.
7. Attend ready to discuss outcomes.Know what you can agree to, what remains disputed, and what order or direction you seek. Record the next steps and deadlines in the endorsement afterward.

From preparation to the court date

1. Request a date.Canvass the other side’s availability and email the Ottawa family court counter with the scheduling details in the local notice, copying the other side. Serve and file Form 17 when you request the conference under Rule 17(4.1).
2. Prepare Form 17A for the actual decisions needed.List agreed/disputed issues, disclosure gaps, possible settlement, and precise directions or dates you want. Confer or make best efforts to confer under Rule 17(3.1), subject to the rule’s safety and order exceptions.
3. Serve and file briefs.Give every other party the brief by the Rule 17 deadline, file it through the applicable Ottawa filing channel with proof of service, and keep acceptance confirmation. The requesting and responding parties have different deadlines; the East Region adds a 5 p.m. four-business-day cutoff.
4. Confirm the event.Give other parties Form 17F, then deliver it to the court by 2 p.m. three business days before. State the issues still live, time required, settlement progress, and the documents the judge should read. Ottawa accepts confirmation forms by email under its local notice.
5. Attend and follow the endorsement.Be ready to discuss settlement, disclosure, motion directions, and a timetable. Record exactly what was ordered or agreed, who must do it, and by when.

Rule at this step: Rule 17(4) sets the purposes, 17(8) the judge’s order powers, 17(13.1) brief deadlines, and 17(14) confirmation. Under Rule 14(4), a conference on the substantive issues is ordinarily required before a motion, subject to exceptions.

Timeline for serving and filing

1. Before requesting a date.Canvass the other side’s availability, then send the Ottawa scheduling request with the other party copied. Check whether the court has ordered a different sequence.
2. At least 6 days before the conference.The requesting party ordinarily serves and files the Rule 17 conference documents, including Form 17A. File Form 6B proof of service as required.
3. At least 4 days before the conference.The other party ordinarily serves and files its conference documents. The East Region also sets a 5 p.m. deadline four business days before for required conference materials; plan to meet both applicable cutoffs.
4. By 2 p.m. 3 business days before.Give every other party Form 17F Confirmation of Conference, then deliver it to the court. Ottawa’s local notice lists confirmation forms for email to the family court counter.
5. After the conference.Read the endorsement for disclosure, next-event, and service deadlines made specifically in your case.

Rule 17 supplies the province-wide deadlines. The East Region and Ottawa directions add filing and scheduling steps; use Rule 3 to count the days. Check the current Family Law Rules ↗

Hot points to remember

• Rule 17 does not contain the eight-page number.Read it alongside the Superior Court practice direction and any current Ottawa notice or case-specific order.
• Not “no evidence at all.”Relevant documents in the permitted categories may accompany the brief. The conference is a different stage from proving disputed facts at a motion or trial.
• Ask for the next step explicitly.If settlement is not possible, seek a timetable for disclosure, a further conference, a motion, or trial preparation as appropriate.
• Costs are possible for an unproductive conference.Rule 17(18) addresses failures such as being unprepared, missing required documents or disclosure, or otherwise not following the rules.
• You can ask for a timetable: Rule 17(4) expressly includes dates for the next step, a specific pre-trial timetable, and directions for an intended motion. Put the proposed dates and tasks in your brief so the judge can consider them.
• Conferences may be combined: Rule 17(7) permits the judge to combine all or part of a case conference, settlement conference, and trial management conference. A combined case/settlement conference has its own conditions and Form 17C brief under Rule 17(7.1)–(7.2); check the direction before treating a regular case conference as a settlement conference.
• Preparation can affect costs: Rule 17(18) addresses costs when a conference is adjourned because a party was unprepared, failed to serve the brief, failed to disclose, or otherwise failed to follow the rules.

Where are the page and evidence limits?

Form 17A is limited to 8 pages for an Ontario Superior Court case conference under paragraphs 95–103 of the provincial family practice direction. That count includes the form and any added pages of facts or argument, even when labelled an appendix or schedule. Conference documents use at least 12-point font and double spacing. A settlement conference brief (Form 17C) has a separate 12-page limit.

Some relevant excerpts are permitted outside the 8 pages: parenting assessments, OCL or Voice of the Child reports; documents establishing a child’s educational needs such as report cards or IEPs; outstanding disclosure lists; certain valuations and income proof; and relevant domestic contracts. Relevant prior orders and endorsements, updated financial statements, litigation expert reports, support calculations, and specified police or CAS materials are also listed separately. See the exact categories in the practice direction, paragraphs 100–101 ↗.

Do not attach a large evidence dump.Paragraph 102 says not to attach voluminous texts, emails, or social media posts; refer to only the relevant and necessary excerpts in the brief itself. Material outside the permitted categories needs the court’s leave in exceptional circumstances. A conference brief is for the conference and does not become part of the continuing record unless the court orders otherwise under Rule 17.

About this page

General Ontario legal information for Superior Court family proceedings, with an Ottawa focus. Check the current rules, practice directions, local notice, and orders in your own case. This page is not legal advice.