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}}Case conferences are meetings between the parties to a court proceeding, their lawyers (if they have them), and a judge, usually for purposes relating to the management or settlement of the court proceeding.
This section discusses ''judicial case conferences'', ''family case conferences'', and ''settlement conferences'', — the most common kinds of conferences held in the Provincial Court and the Supreme Court, — and their uses and limitations and uses. It also talks about trial management and trial preparation conferences, and provides tips about how you can get the most out of your time and the judge's time at case conferences.
==Introduction==
Case conferences are meetings between the parties to a court proceeding, their lawyers, if they have them, and a judge. They are held to either help move a court proceeding toward trial or to explore options for settlement possibilities. Case conferences usually held in courtrooms or in special courthouse meeting rooms set aside for the purpose. The judge may be sitting at the head of the courtroom on the bench or at a table with the parties and their lawyers. Although case conferences are a little less formal than hearings and trials, they still need to be taken seriously and the judge needs to be treated with the same respect.
''Family case conferences'' in the Provincial Court and ''judicial case conferences'' in the Supreme Court are held early in a court proceeding and are focussed on settling any of the legal issues that can be agreed to, setting up temporary getting short-term arrangements for the support and parenting of childrenset up, and planning the next few steps in the proceeding.
''Trial preparation conferences'' in the Provincial Court and ''trial management conferences'' in the Supreme Court and are all about getting the court proceeding ready for trial. They are held towards the end of a proceeding and are focussed on making sure that all of the parties are ready to go.