Family Matters - Resources for Self Represented Litigants

The Court of King’s Bench is the Superior Trial Court for the Province, hearing trials in civil and criminal matters and appeals from decisions of the Provincial Court. The Chief Justice and other Justices of the Court of King’s Bench are also judges of Surrogate Matters, which has jurisdiction over probate and administration of estate matters. The Court of King’s Bench of Alberta has sole jurisdiction over divorce and the division of property in the Province of Alberta, and presides over matters involving child and spousal support and child custody and access.

Court and Justice Services (CJS) provides administrative support to all the courts within the province, including electronic legal information services through Alberta Law Libraries.

CJS offer: legal information services for the public on court procedures and legal services options; assistance with locating and filling out court forms; referrals to other community legal services, as well as dispute resolution services for child support, family and child medication, conflict intervention, family mediation, and civil mediation. 

Family Justice Services are a group of programs and services offered by Alberta Justice in collaboration with the courts of Alberta. This webpage provides general information for those who are representing themselves in a family matter in either Court of Queen’s Bench or The Provincial Court of Alberta. Family Law includes all of the legal issues that arise when couples separate or when parties are parenting children together. Family Law does not include criminal charges against a family member, or issues that arise when a family member dies. This site provides general information only.

How to apply for an order that determines which guardian is directly responsible for the child and has the right to visit the child. This Alberta government website provides information on how to apply and file your order. It also has links to the relevant forms and information that will assist you in completeing the forms correctly.

This online resource from the Student Legal Services of Edmonton includes information about common law relationships and the Adult Interdependent Relationships Act, property rights, other benefits and statutes (Alberta) and Federal Acts. This resource is also available to download as a PDF.

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.

This website has multimedia presentations (videos) that provide information on presenting a family matters case in Chambers. The website was created by the Law Courts Education Society of  British Columbia but a lot of the information is relevant to other jurisdictions.

This resource helps parents walk through the steps of creating parenting plan. A parenting plan is a written document that outlines how parents will raise their children after separation or divorce. This interactive tool will give you some options to develop a personalized parenting plan. This tool is not intended as legal advice.

Family Court Counsellors provide services, at no cost, to families who are involved in parenting disputes and are living separate and apart. The service is designed for people who are not represented by a lawyer. Services may include: Information on options and services for resolving family issues; Referrals to services and programs including mediation; Information on the effects of separation and divorce on children; Help to negotiate agreements; Assistance with court applications, arranging court dates and presenting the case in Provincial Court.

Family Justice Services are a group of programs and services offered by Alberta Justice in collaboration with the courts of Alberta. Family Justice Services works directly with individuals and also with the judges of the Alberta Provincial Court and Court of Queen’s Bench to help people get appropriate solutions for their family law issues.

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 booklet offers some basic information that you should be aware of if you choose to represent yourself in Provincial Court – Family. The booklet focuses on preparing for and conducting a trial when you are not represented by a lawyer. This booklet includes information about:

• Resolution options and services that can help you solve your family law issues
• Making a Family Law Act application in the Provincial Court of Alberta
• Answers to questions many people have
• Court processes and court language
• How to find a lawyer
• Preparing for trial if you do not have a lawyer

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.

This booklet produced by the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta (CPLEA) explains how the legal process works in Alberta. The booklet has information for people who were legally married and people who lived in a common law relationship.

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

If you can’t afford to pay the filing fees for court, you can make an application at a Court Registry office to find out whether or not you qualify to have the filing fee waived. Learn if you qualify to have filing fees waived and how to apply here.