Informal Family Trial Pilot – Kamloops Registry

In Kamloops, an informal trial process is being tested for some family law trials in Provincial Court. 

What is an informal trial?

The purpose of an informal trial is to provide a trial process in which the trial judge is able to take a facilitative role to direct, control and manage the conduct of the trial. 

The informal trial is designed to be less formal and more flexible to meet the needs of the parties. 

The parties present their evidence at the trial following the judge’s direction about how the information is put before the court. The judge then determines how the information before the court will help to decide the issues to be resolved. 

The informal trial is voluntary. An informal trial will be used only if all parties in the case and the trial judge agree to it. You must each file a written Consent to an Informal Trial form if you agree to use the informal trial process. The consents must be filed at the court registry before the trial is scheduled.

An informal trial may not be appropriate for all cases – even if the parties agree to an informal trial, it will still be up to the trial judge to determine if it is appropriate.

If you want more information about the Informal Trial Pilot at the Kamloops Provincial Court, please see the links in the box to the right.