How Do I Find Out About Court Procedures?

There are many self-help guides to help people represent themselves in court. They range from general guides to guides specific to different courts.

General guides

• Coping With the Courtroom: Essential Information and Tips for Self Represented Litigants. Includes opening and closing statements, tips for questioning witnesses, and tips for organizing documents.
• Settlement Smarts for Self Represented Litigants. Includes judge-led settlement conferences, mediation and negotiation.
• The Rights and Responsibilities of the Self-Represented Litigant. Includes dealing with lawyers, judges, court staff and court rules.
• The McKenzie Friend: Choosing and Presenting a Courtroom Companion. As a self-represented litigant, you may bring someone to sit with you at the front of a courtroom when you are appearing before a judge or master.

BC Provincial Court

• Going To Court includes information on self-represented litigants, finding legal help and lawyers, and preparing for a trial or hearing.

Criminal Court, Provincial

• Representing Yourself in a Criminal Trial. This booklet explains what happens when an accused person wants to plead not guilty to a summary offence.
• Provincial Court Resources for Everyone: Criminal Court. This page directs you to helpful info on the Criminal Court process in Provincial Court. Also available as a PDF handout that you can download and print.

Small Claims Court

• Provincial Court Resources for Everyone: Small Claims Court. This page directs you to helpful info on the Small Claims process. Also available as a PDF handout that you can download and print.
• The Clicklaw common question, I need to take someone to small claims court describes a number of resources including small claims guidebooks, and instructions on how to fill out a notice of claim, with examples.

Family Law in Provincial and Supreme Courts

• Provincial Court Resources for Everyone: Family Court. This page directs you to helpful info on the Family Matters you can deal with in BC Provincial Court and includes links to resources about preparing for court. Also available as a PDF handout that you can download and print.
• JP Boyd on Family Law: Resolving Family Law Problems in Court
• Family Law in BC website:
  • Which guide should I choose? Is there a self-help guide for my situation?
  • Coping with the court process
  • Preparing to attend Supreme Court
  • Tips for conducting your Supreme Court trial
  • What happens at a Supreme Court trial?

BC Human Rights Tribunal

• BC Human Rights Tribunal Guide for Self-Represented People

Civil Litigation in Supreme Court of BC

• Supreme Court of BC online help guide includes videos, online chat and court tips.
• Guidebooks for Representing Yourself for civil matters. Also see the Clicklaw common question I’m trying to prepare a Supreme Court case, which describes a series of guides that explain how to get started, next steps, and other actions concerning a Supreme Court case.
• Civil Case Tips Sheets. Includes how to take notes during trial; how to prepare your case; and how to act in court.
• Guide to Civil Litigation in the Supreme Court of BC for Self-Represented Litigants. This is an extensive guide that includes how to do pleadings, and what to know about trials.
• BC Supreme Court Information Packages. Includes topics such as adoption, garnishment, costs, orders, name change, writ of seizure and sale.
• BC Judicial Review Self-Help Guide provides an overview of the judicial review process in the BC Supreme Court, from preparing and filing your petition and affidavit to representing yourself in court. The guide lets you select the tribunal that you have a decision from and then view the steps involved. Forms and sample forms are also available.

Criminal Law, Supreme Court of BC

• How a Criminal Trial Works. Provides an overview of the steps involved in a criminal trial.

BC Court of Appeal

• Court of Appeal BC - Online Help Guide. Provides the following guidebooks:
  • Civil & Family Matters, for both appellants and respondents who need to represent themselves in civil and family law matters.
  • Criminal Matters, on how to appeal your conviction and how to appeal your sentence.

Supreme Court of Canada

• Supreme Court of Canada Resources for Self-Represented Litigants. Explains what is expected of you if you are applying for a leave to appeal or if you have been named as a respondent.

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Courthouse Libraries BC staff, October 2015.

Beginner's Guide to Finding Legal Information © Courthouse Libraries BC 2015 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.