How Do I Tell Everyone That I'm Representing Myself?

It often happens that someone who was represented by a lawyer winds up representing him- or herself. When this happens, you must notify the other parties and the court of the change.

In cases before the Provincial Court, all you have to do is fill out a Notice of Change of Address in Form 11, file it in court and serve copies on the other parties. You don't have to personally serve the other parties; you can mail the form to their addresses for service. It will be obvious from the change in your address that your lawyer no longer represents you.

In cases before the Supreme Court, you have to fill out a Notice of Intention to Act in Person in Form F88, file it in court, and serve copies on the other parties by ordinary service, either by mail to their addresses for service, or by fax to their fax number for service, or by email to their email address for service, if they have one.

You can find more information about serving documents in the chapter Resolving Family Law Problems in Court.

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Thomas Wallwork, September 27, 2014.

JP Boyd on Family Law © John-Paul Boyd and Courthouse Libraries BC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.

Normally referred to as the "Supreme Court of British Columbia," this court hears most of the trials in this province. The Supreme Court is a court of inherent jurisdiction and has no limits on the sorts of claims it can hear or on the sorts of orders it can make. Decisions of the Provincial Court are appealed to the Supreme Court; decisions of the Supreme Court are appealed to the Court of Appeal. See "Court of Appeal," "jurisdiction," "Provincial Court" and "Supreme Court of Canada."

A court established and staffed by the provincial government, which includes Small Claims Court, Youth Court, and Family Court. The Provincial Court is the lowest level of court in British Columbia and is restricted in the sorts of matters it can deal with. It is, however, the most accessible of the two trial courts and no fees are charged to begin or defend a family law proceeding. The Family Court of the Provincial Court cannot deal with the division of family property or any claims under the Divorce Act. See "Divorce Act," "judge" and "jurisdiction."

A person licensed to practice law in a particular jurisdiction by that jurisdiction's law society. See "barrister and solicitor."

In law, to formally deliver documents to a person in a manner that complies with the rules of court. Service may be ordinary (mailed or delivered to a litigant's address for service), personal (hand-delivered to a person), or substituted (performed in a way other than the rules normally require). See "address for delivery," "ordinary service," "personal service" and "substituted service."

Sending legal documents to a party at that party's "address for service," usually by mail, fax, or email. Certain documents, like a Notice of Family Claim, must be served on the other party by personal service. Most other documents may be served by ordinary service. See also "address for service" and "personal service."

The address at which a party to a court proceeding agrees to accept delivery of legal documents. An address for service must be a proper street address within British Columbia; additional addresses for service may include postal addresses, fax numbers, and email addresses.