Civil Matters - Resources for Self Represented Litigants

An instructional video from the Canadian Bar Association Alberta branch demonstrates the basics of procedure in civil court for non-lawyers. It is about 25 minutes in length, and uses common types of courtroom disputes to explain the kinds of evidence you may need for your case as well as how to organize and present that evidence to the judge.

This section of the Alberta Court of Justice website explains about using mediation to resolve a lawsuit. You may request mediation or the court may select your lawsuit for mediation once a Dispute Note has been filed. This program is free to the parties involved.

Download forms for applying to the Alberta Court of King’s Bench dealing with non-contentious surrogate (wills and estates) matters.

Do you need help with a civil matter in Provincial Court? Volunteer lawyers can provide legal advice, information on court procedures, help preparing for trials, motions and other appearances, including help completing forms. This service is available at the Calgary Courts Centre. Assistance is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The program does not assist with: family, criminal or corporate law matters, matters in Court of Queen’s Bench or other Appeal Courts, and pre-trial conferences and mediations.

Do you need help with a civil matter in Provincial Court? Civil Claims Duty Counsel can provide help with: summary legal advice, procedural information, help with trials, mortions and other appearances, an help completing forms. The service is available at the Edmonton Law Courts Building. Please note: This program does not assist with family or criminal law matters.

On this Alberta Provincial Court webpage you will find pages that sets out the Civil Claims Process. The content has been ordered based on the flow that a Civil Claim action goes through in Provincial Court Civil.

The “Civil Matters: What to Do in Court” video provides tips and information on how to prepare for a Civil Claims trial if you are a Plaintiff, Defendant or Witness, including what documents you may need, how to present evidence, and how to address the judge. Video Transcripts are available in:  English | Spanish | French | Arabic | Hindi | Punjabi | Urdu

You have been successful in obtaining a Judgment of the Civil Division of the Provincial Court or the Court of Queen’s Bench and you would like to collect on it from the defendant/enforcement debtor. This can be a difficult process and you should consider seeing a lawyer. If you decide to act on your own behalf, this brochure outlines the procedures and forms required by the Court of Queen’s Bench Clerk’s office. It is for information only, and is not to be interpreted as the law. Forms can be purchased from Queen’s Printer Bookstores and most stationery stores. (PDF – 40 pages)

Search for actions in Civil, Family, Divorce, Bankruptcy, Apeals, Surroget – Estate and Surrogate – Represented Adult. Use this online form to request a search of civil actions in Alberta Court of King’s Bench, or to request a search of a specific action either by party name or by court action/ file number.

These handbooks developed by the Canadian Judicial Council are intended as helpful guides for people who are navigating the justice system without a lawyer to prepare and present their legal case. The Council has created three handbooks that contain a wealth of information on family law, civil law and criminal law in Canada. The information is provided in an easy to understand format, with various worksheets, useful tips, explanations of legal terms and concrete examples to guide litigants throughout the legal process.

To view the handbooks, click on the links below:

• Civil Law Handbook
• Criminal Law Handbook
• Family Law Handbook

To view all resources of the Canadian Judicial Council see: https://cjc-ccm.ca/en/resources-centre

This project assists self-represented litigants with their civil claims in Calgary’s Queen’s Bench Masters and Justice Chambers. The project includes a “storefront” afternoon shift where self-represented litigants and get summary legal information regarding civil matters in the follow areas of law: civil, bankruptcy, real estate, and court procedure. Hours of operation are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning and afternoon.

This court procedure booklet tells you what steps to take when:

1. You are making an application in the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta;
2. You already have a court file (e.g. divorce, family property, common law property);
3. The application you want to make is NOT under the Family Law Act; and
4. You have chosen not to get a lawyer and will be representing yourself throughout the court process.

Representing yourself in court is a daunting task. This issue of LawNow offers some suggestions for success.